Captivated - Story 2 in the Unbreakable Series
by HeavenSpent
Summary: Steve continues to be drawn inexplicably closer to Dr. Julia Abbott, but when Five-0 lands a case that brings an old friend of Julia's to town, secrets are revealed and questions are left unanswered. Will Steve and Julia be able to get beyond their complicated pasts and build a future together? Romance - Steve/OC, hurt/angst, action/adventure, Steve/Danny/team. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: _If you haven't read **Justified**, this story picks up the next morning after the conclusion of that story. You'll be much happier if you read Justified first. I've been working on this for quite some time, and I could very much use comments and feedback! The more feedback I get, the faster I will post the chapters. Thanks to all who comment!  
_

The light cool fog hung low on the early morning pavement, giving the road an ethereal look. Dr. Julia Abbott was out for her morning run as she followed her daily routine without fail. It was a little chilly that morning, making Julia wish she'd worn her running fleece. She picked up her pace a little to compensate. As her feet pounded the pavement, she thought about sitting on the beach with Steve the night before while watching her son Andy play in the sand with Grace. Replaying the evening, she kept feeling Steve's soft, sweet kiss. Her heart was racing, but not from her run. A shiver went through her body as she thought of his gentle touch, the soft caresses, and the words he whispered to her. "It's all worth it," he'd said. Did he mean she was worth it? Julia bristled with the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty. She was out of her league on this one. Julia was an analyst and a scholar; for her, things had always been black and white. She didn't know what to think. She mentally went down the list of the things she did know. She knew she felt drawn to Steve in an inexplicable way. She also knew that she had feelings about him that she'd never felt about any man before, at least any man since her late husband, Peter. She had a sense that Steve felt the same way about her, but what he meant by being "worth it," well, that had her puzzled. She shook her head in frustration, hoping that her morning run would help her clarify the confusing events and emotions of the past week.

Julia wasn't used to analyzing men, their thoughts, or even thoughts in general. She wasn't the sort of woman who thought all men wanted her; rather, she was a bit embarrassed by the attention that her looks brought her. In her experience, she'd found that sooner or later, most men would drop their kindness act and either move on to someone else or make a pass at her. She had categories and classifications that she'd developed over the years that took care of most situations. For men, they usually fell into one of four categories. Either they were a. nice guys wanting sex, b. immature idiots wanting sex, c. married and/or gay (and sometimes wanting sex), or d. married to their jobs but wanting sex. When she had first met Danny and Steve she lumped both of them into the last category, while Chin was married and didn't hit on her, putting him solidly in category c. But Julia had quickly realized that while Steve was attracted to her (and probably wanted sex), he was also surprisingly sweet, gentle, and thoughtful. He didn't seem to fit into any of her categories.

She glanced at her watch. 7:30. Time to turn it around and start to head back. She recalled Steve's kisses earlier in the week - first, at the overlook, and then later that night in the stairwell of the Warrens' hotel. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of his lips on hers, their bodies pressed urgently up against each other. She'd hoped that Danny hadn't been looking through the window of the stairwell. The situation was rather embarrassing as it was. But still, both times, Steve had pulled back. He wasn't hesitant, no, that wasn't it, Julia decided. He was… gentlemanly. But it was something more than that. She sensed from his response that he was seriously attracted to her, yet still he held his passion back. It was puzzling. And that too, didn't fit into any of her categories.

Julia tried to figure out what he was doing, as the music on her iPhone changed to a more up-tempo beat. But try as she might, every time she thought of Steve, she was diverted by the thought of his broad shoulders, his incredibly tight abs, his goofy smile and oh, his kisses. Julia felt a familiar warmth stir in her body. _I've got to stop this_, she thought. _It's distracting me from thinking about anything else_. Still, she found herself smiling as she stepped up her pace again, turning the corner for the last sprint home. Settling into a groove again, her music was interrupted by a call. She clicked the button on her headphones to accept it.

"Julia Abbot."

"Julia, hey, it's Steve. How are you?"

Julia smiled inwardly, and flushed a bit. _Rather ironic timing_. "I'm well, thanks. I take it from the traffic noise that I'm on speaker, you're driving, and I'm guessing you're not alone?"

"Um, yeah. Are you okay? You sound a little breathless."

"That's because I'm finishing up my morning run. Get your mind out of the gutter, McGarrett." Julia said, playfully, as she heard Danny's distinctive laugh in the background. _And this is why I think most men are obsessed with sex_, she thought wryly. "Since I'm on speaker with the two of you, and you're probably driving Danny's car, it's safe to assume that this isn't a social call?"

"No, not really. I have a small favor to ask."

Julia chuckled knowingly as she slowed her pace coming up to her house, "I'm almost home now. How far away are you?"

"About fifteen?" he said, hopefully.

"Come on over. I'll see you in a bit" she said, disconnecting the call and returning to her music. _Well, that was romantic. Not. Damn._

* * *

Steve and Danny pulled up to Julia's house in the Camaro. They'd seen her house a few nights ago when Steve had driven Julia home after they'd finished the Warren case, but during the daytime her house looked more imposing. The front of the house was discreetly hidden from the road by a series of large white stucco walls and a wrought-iron gate that opened automatically for them before Steven even pushed the buzzer button. Looking up, he saw a series of cameras – some obvious, others carefully tucked away. The gate closed quietly behind them. Steve parked the car and grabbed a gym bag out of the back seat.

"Nice house," Danny commented dryly. "She takes her security rather seriously, I take it."

Steve noticed the separate entrance to the courtyard and the well-placed lighting. As they reached the outer courtyard, he heard the door unlatch. They walked up to the keyless front door. On the left side of the entrance, there was a computerized keypad and a tiny embedded camera at eye level. _Biometric scans, random-access keypads, heat-sensitive cameras discreetly hidden - not something you see every day on a residential property,_ he thought. He pushed a doorbell that he assumed was probably unnecessary. Given what he'd seen already, he was certain that someone had been watching them since they first pulled up to the outer gate.

"Hi! Come on in. You must be Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams. I'm Allison, Andy's nanny. Julia's in the back yard, finishing her workout. Why don't you follow me?"

Danny grinned at the tall attractive redhead dressed in short jean cutoffs and a tank top, figuring she was about 25 years old. _Damn_, _how come Gracie never had a nanny like her?_

Allison took them through the hallway to a large kitchen and family room that opened out to the back lanai through a set of French doors. Just as she pointed to out to a spot in the yard near the gently lapping waves, Andy came racing into the room in his Superman pajamas, his cape billowing behind him. He grabbed the legs of Danny and Steve, shouting "Danno! Mando Steve!"

Danny rolled his eyes at yet another repeat of his 'beloved' nickname, and laughed at Steve's new nickname. "'Mando Steve,' huh? Maybe I can start calling you 'Mando' whenever you annoy me."

Steve shot Danny a sharp look before bending down to see Andy. "Hey buddy, how goes it?"

"Mando Steve, Danno, YOU STAY HERE. Stay here!" Andy turned to run off.

Allison looked at the two officers and laughed. "I'd recommend you stay here. He means business. He's rarely bossy but he must have something he wants to show you. He would be really crushed if he came back and you weren't here." She started to clear the breakfast table dishes, still grinning at Andy's antics and their effect on the two men.

Andy ran back into the room, carrying a large dinosaur. "_Dis _is T-Rex. Watch!" Andy pushed a button and T-Rex roared, which Andy thought was the funniest thing in the world. Steve laughed at the antics of the little superhero, who proceeded to run back into the other room, chased by a giggling Allison and shouting the lyrics to "Dinosaur Train!"

Steve turned to Danny, who was sporting a huge grin. "What?" Steve asked.

"Nothing. I just find it rather entertaining that Super SEAL is put into his place by a three year-old wearing Superman pajamas and carrying a T-Rex."

"This from a man who turns to jello whenever anyone mentions his daughter's name."

"The point is, 'Mando Steve,' she's my daughter. This little guy, you've known him for what, a day, and already he has you wrapped around his finger."

"I noticed you grinned when he called you 'Danno,' and I think you liked his dinosaur."

"I have to admit, he is rather cute, and I am a sucker for little kids, especially in Superman jammies. That said, _Steven_, I find it rather interesting that you are so easily turned into a softie, particularly given that kids have never really been your thing."

"What do you mean, kids aren't my thing?" Steve said in mock surprise. "I like kids. Kids like me. Gracie likes me."

"Grace likes everyone. And need I remind you of the time you terrified that kid on the elevator at the Hilton when you kept using your gun to hit the elevator floor button? Let's just say I wouldn't recommend you give up your day job to become a babysitter anytime soon."

Steve ignored Danny's comment and opened the door to the lanai, stepping out into the warm sunlight. He squinted as he raised his hand up to shield his eyes from the light. Sure enough, down by the water, he could make out a figure that rather resembled Julia. As they came closer, he saw that she was doing reverse crunches on a pull-up bar. _Damn_, he thought, his breath hitching as he took a moment to admire her carefully toned body. Julia was wearing short running shorts that accented her muscular legs and a cropped running top that showed off her defined abs and trim arms. She was facing away from them as they watched her continue to pull her legs up parallel to the ground and then lower them slowly, toes pointed, her form perfectly aligned. His eyes lingered as he gazed at her body and the slight sheen of sweat across her shoulders and torso.

Suddenly, she stopped and swung for a moment on the chin-up bar before dropping to the ground. Taking her iPhone out of her pocket to turn off her music, she turned around, put her hands on her hips, and smiled at the two men.

"Enjoying the view?" she said, pointedly.

"Yeah, uh, I mean, it's very…expansive. No, um, not expansive, it's uh…" Danny stumbled over himself while Steve kept a straight face.

"I'll give you a hint, Danny. There is no good way to answer that question." Julia laughed, her eyes narrowing in jest. She knew they had been checking her out. _One of the perks of the job_, she thought, as she grabbed a small towel and chugged down her water bottle. "Come on, let's head up to the house, since I know this isn't a social call." She slid a quick look over to Steve, catching his eye as they walked back. _He looks rather fine himself this morning_, she noted as he ran his fingers briefly through his hair. _I wish those were my fingers, reaching up, giving his hair a tug. _She shook her head, unsuccessfully trying to get the indelible image out of her thoughts.

Steve tried to discreetly check her out, but it was clear she knew he was staring at her. It wasn't often he saw a body like Julia's, particularly on a woman who'd had a child. He assessed the lean, taut muscles on her body, particularly her toned arms, her firm glutes, and her runner's legs. He imagined what those legs would feel like wrapped around him and had to take a deep breath to refocus on why they were there. _Steady, Steve. This isn't the time or the place, especially with Danny here._ He quickly stepped up to open the door for Julia, her eyes sparkling as she thanked him.

"Do you mind if I grab a quick juice? I haven't eaten and my blood sugar's a little low. Do you guys want anything, coffee, juice, water?" Julia asked, dropping her towel and her iPhone on the bar chair by the counter and putting her water bottle by the sink.

Steve watched her rummage through the refrigerator, pulling out some cucumbers, kale, parsley, spinach and a pile of carrots. "No, thanks, we're all set," he said, a bit confused. Her concoction looked more like a salad or rabbit food than a juice.

Julia proceeded to throw the veggies into a large juicer and put the cover on, grinding it and then pouring the pulpy green mess into a large glass. Beaming, she looked at Steve and Danny, who both looked a little pale. "Sure you don't want some?" she asked, raising a brow as she chugged the green lumpy concoction. She looked intently at the gym bag, which Steve had set on the kitchen table. "I assume that's not malasadas or breakfast," she said, chuckling. She was pretty high on endorphins right about now, which combined with her running ruminations about last night and Steve checking her out in the back yard was making her more than a little frisky.

"Nope, but I think you'll like them regardless," Steve smiled flirtatiously. "Take a peek."


	2. Chapter 2

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: _Thank you for the feedback and comments! Please keep them coming. It makes a big difference, and lets me know that people want to see more chapters. For Stelia fans, I promise, more to come very soon._

Julia looked quizzically over at Steve as she walked over to the bag. Opening it carefully, she looked inside. Stunned, she looked back at Steve and Danny, and then with a small smile and her eyebrow raised flirtatiously, she said, "I take it these are related to a case, and not an invitation to join the two of you on a sudden trip to Fiji?"

Danny and Steve both grinned. "HPD found them in the trunk of a car after a car chase following a routine traffic stop this morning. I thought you might be able to shed some light on them," Steve shared.

"I have to say, I'm a bit relieved. It's already been an eventful week. Running off with two attractive men and, oh, about fifty million in bearer bonds would really put the icing on the cake, but trying to figure out if you wanted me along for a _threesome,_ or just for my money laundering knowledge would have made for a _bit_ of a challenge."

Danny nearly choked at her casual mention of a threesome. Julia noticed and gave him a little leer just for kicks. _Two can play that game, Danno_. She walked over to put her glass in the dishwasher as she collected her thoughts. _Just when you think things are going to get settle down and perhaps become a little more routine, Steve shows up with a few million in a gym bag. He never ceases to surprise me_, she thought wryly. "Okay gentlemen, let's head into my office." Julia nodded to the right, leading them through the great room and into a small den.

Compared to her office at the university, Julia's home office was almost spartan. Large floor-to-ceiling windows opened out to the front courtyard and the back lanai. The scent of lilacs wafted through the room, which was furnished simply with a large antique desk, a comfortable cream-colored plush sofa, and a huge bookcase along the north wall. A large painting of a farmhouse hung behind Julia's desk, and on a small credenza there were a number of pictures in silver frames. Steve set the gym bag down on the credenza and looked at the photos. There was a large photo of her mother, whom he recognized from the _Times_ article. Another photo showed Julia with likely her father, brothers and sister. There were several pictures of children grinning and hamming it up for the camera, and another of a young Julia piloting a large sailboat. An intimate picture offered a glimpse of Julia resting her head on the shoulder of an attractive man - her husband, Steve guessed. There were more pictures of Andy as a baby, a toddler, a little boy. Just as Steve's office at HQ was his sanctuary, this seemed to be Julia's. He found it interesting her office was bereft of awards and certificates, and instead entirely showcased her friends and family.

Julia walked over behind her desk and rummaged through a drawer, taking out a pair of white cotton gloves and a magnifying glass. "Danny, could you bring the bag over here?" He carefully laid the gym bag on her desk in response. Julia turned on a brushed silver desk light that was very bright, even though the room was well-lit from the sunny windows. Looking at the bag carefully, she asked, "May I take a closer look?"

"In spite of the fact that Steve is still checking you out, this bag is the actual reason we're here," Danny teased. "Go ahead."

Julia took out the first bond, fingering it carefully with her gloved hand. She set it under the light and picked up the magnifying glass. "Well, ideally I'd love to see these under a microscope, but I imagine your next stop is HPD's crime lab, so we'll leave that to them. These were found in the trunk of a car?"

"The perp said he stole the car, and didn't know about the contents of the trunk," Steve stated, watching Julia carefully. Her face was still rosy from her workout and her hair was pulled back into a sweaty ponytail, but she looked gorgeous as she went to work. He noticed how easily she slid into her work persona, her face changing to a focused, professional mode while she carefully examined the first bond. _ I rather like the flirty, playful Julia, but there's something about her intensity that's incredibly sexy. _ He exhaled softly.

"What do you think about his story?" she asked them passively while still examining the bonds intently.

"Well, although I hate to say this about a thief, he's probably telling the truth, given he has a rap sheet a mile long for jacking cars and similar offenses," Danny answered. He wondered what she was looking at as she continued to stare at the very edge of the bond.

"Hmm… that makes sense, especially if he wasn't bright enough to avoid getting pinched as the result of a traffic stop." She continued without looking up, "I can tell you that these are counterfeit without a doubt. Your techs will do a spectral analysis of the paper and ink, but these are definitely not the standard quality. The paper is very good, impressive actually. I'd be willing to bet that it's rather close to the real paper, which is actually archival wood pulp rather than paper per se. But with these bonds, it's the ink that's off. See my glove?" Danny and Steve leaned forward to take a closer look, and saw that there was a bluish residue on Julia's glove. "The ink ran slightly. These are fresh – too fresh. Bearer bonds haven't been printed in the United States since TEFRA passed in 1982. My guess is these were printed in the last day or so. Notice the dates? They are back-dated to reduce suspicion."

Julia slowly examined the edge of the bond with the magnifying glass as her breath caught. She stood back for a moment, a puzzled look on her face. She looked again at the bond, carefully going over the details, particularly the elaborate corners and edges. "Wait a minute." She took out a second bond, and looked at its edge with the magnifying glass, and then back at the first bond, letting out a slow whistle. _What the hell? These can't be… but there's no way… still, wow._ Looking up at Steve and Danny with an unusual mix of concern and surprise in her eyes, she stated excitedly, "These could be Gombars."


	3. Chapter 3

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the continuing feedback and reviews - even if it's short, please review! Thank you! The story is written but I'm modifying as I go, so don't worry about getting attached to a story that takes a long time to finish. I post chapters 1-2 times a week. _  
_

"Okay, I'll bite, what's a Gombar?" Danny asked.

Carefully replacing the two bonds and sealing the bag, Julia removed her gloves and put her gear away. "Felix Gombar was a master counterfeiter that we put away back in 2004, right after I joined the Service. He was one of the very few artists who could counterfeit engraving, rather than just lithography – um, printing in layman's terms. He was an old-style counterfeiter, using machine etching to create the printing plates. At first he focused on $100 bills, but they were too difficult to pass with the variable ink and threads that Treasury started to embed in the bills, so he moved on to Eurobonds. We only caught him because his partners were too greedy – they printed over $100 million and tried to slip them out of the country through a hidden compartment in a suitcase. Thanks to a suspicious Customs agent in Los Angeles, we were able to bust the ring. We recovered the plates and all of the equipment… but these bonds here, these have the detail, the artistry, the engraving, and the correct fonts. That's a very rare combination. Maybe he trained someone, maybe we missed an accomplice, but I would bet some serious money that if we compared these to the bonds we recovered in '04, they would be almost an identical match."

"So where is Gombar now?" Steve asked.

"Last I heard he was serving consecutive life sentences in at a medium security facility in West Virginia. Guys, this goes _way_ beyond funny money. If Gombar trained someone, or someone uncovered one of his plates, we could have a serious national security problem on our hand. Whoever produced these bonds is very close – I'd venture only an expert could identify them as counterfeit, particularly if the counterfeiters resolve the ink problem. To the average bank or clearing house, particularly outside the U.S., they would probably pass as legit. If the people who made these were to produce enough of fake bonds, and you combine that with the current currency problems in the EU, it could be enough to throw the EU and the global economy into a deeper recession than we've seen in fifty years."

"How so?" Steve continued, puzzled.

"With enough fake bonds, the money supply would be increased just as if EU member countries were printing money. Given their current fragile state, a massive increase in the money supply could destabilize the whole region." Julia thought for a moment as she moved to the front of her desk and perched on the edge. "It's odd they were left in the trunk of a car. It makes me wonder if they weren't being used to purchase drugs, arms, or for a payoff. This could be part of a larger terrorist plot, or it could just be some greedy counterfeiters." Julia bit her lip gently, her face worried as she thought about the impact this could have. "What's your plan?"

_I'd like to start by nibbling on that lip,_ Steve thought distractedly. Clearing his throat, he answered, "We'll run these over to the crime lab, confirm your suspicions, and see what we can find out on the vehicle and its location. What's your plan?"

Julia looked amusingly at Steve. _My plan would involve you and me in my tub upstairs to start…man, I am seriously frisky today. Perhaps my plan should involve a cold shower first._ "My plan? Shower, breakfast, class at 10, work on my journal article, do some grading, update a lecture, then home. I'm no longer with the Service, remember? You need to run this one through the proper channels. I shouldn't be involved."

Danny's phone rang, interrupting them briefly. He looked at the caller ID, and excused himself to take the call in the other room. Steve stepped a little closer to Julia and gave her a little flirty smirk. "You don't have someone that you might be able to call?"

Julia rolled her eyes at Steve. He was insufferably adorable. And charming. And that smile would get her to do just about anything, including make a call. "You know that you are really pushing it, particularly considering how much time I spent at Five-O this week?" she said, dryly. _Oh, those puppy dog eyes._ _He had me before he even walked in my door this morning, looking all seriously rumpled and yummy._ She sighed exaggeratingly. "Fine, I will make a call." She reached over to the phone on her desk, flipped open her iPad to look up a number, and proceeded to dial. Her hand over the receiver, she whispered to Steve, "You owe me. Big." Steve stood, arms crossed, and gave a quick half-smile to Julia. That smile confirmed to her that he was just trouble. Good trouble, in many ways, but trouble nonetheless. "Good morning. Supervisor Wilson, please. It's Dr. Julia Abbott."

Steve walked over to the large bookcase next to her desk and glanced at the titles, noticing Julia had a wide variety of books, mostly non-fiction. They seemed to be organized by subject – American history, economics, world history, mathematics, number theory, biographies, psychology, theology, physics, finance… confirming to Steve that Julia was well-read in a number of areas.

"Yes, Supervisor Wilson, hello. Thank you for taking my call. If it's all right with you, I'm going to put you on speaker with Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett of the Five-O task force in Hawaii." Julia hit the speaker button and put down the receiver. "Sir, Five-O recovered approximately $50 million in bearer Eurobonds this morning during a random traffic stop. They are waiting on lab results, but I've examined the bonds and they appear to be fairly high-quality counterfeits."

"Why were you examining them, Dr. Abbott? My understanding is that you've returned to civilian life," Wilson's gruff voice responded over the line.

Steve didn't like this guy already. Why was he giving Julia flack for looking at the evidence? "Supervisor Wilson, this is Commander McGarrett. I asked Dr. Abbott to take a look at the evidence as a favor to my task force and for the Governor of Hawaii. If you have concerns about that, I can arrange for the Governor to give you a call."

Julia touched Steve's arm, shaking her head gently. _Don't get involved, Steve. I know where this is going. _"Sir, in looking at the bonds, they look strikingly familiar to Felix Gombar's work, except that the ink and paper were not of the same quality…."

Supervisor Wilson impatiently interrupted Julia, "Gombar has been in a Federal pen for the better part of the last eight years, _Doctor_, as I'm sure you recall. There's no way they could be his. Regardless of your hurried examination, we will need to have the bonds sent to the Federal Crime Lab. Commander McGarrett, you will send a sample immediately. Special Agent Romano will be coming out to investigate, and I'll have him touch base with you when he arrives on Monday. And Dr. Abbott, just so that we are abundantly clear, you are _not_ to consult on this case. Is that understood?" Wilson's tone made it clear that the question a rhetorical one.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for your time. Good day." Julia hung up the phone, a bit wearily. _Great_. _Just what I needed to start my day._


	4. Chapter 4

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me, good, bad, or indifferent.

**Author's Note**: Feedback and comments welcome and needed! I write for me, but I publish for you :-)

"What was all of that about?" Steve asked, regretting that he'd asked her to call in the first place. He should have called himself rather than put her in that position. It had never occurred to him that Julia would be berated for doing him a favor. He was so used to leveraging his friendships and relationships to get whatever information he needed that he'd never thought that the people he cared about might get hurt by helping him.

"It's nothing," Julia said, dismissively. "Wilson's never been a fan of mine. I don't take it personally. He's a prick, but he's very effective at his job and he _is_ the head of the Counterfeit Division. He made a valid point – I shouldn't be involved in this case. I don't have particular expertise in counterfeiting, and I am a civilian now," she admitted reluctantly as she walked in front of the desk and leaned against it.

Steve regretted putting Julia in this position, but didn't know how to express it to her. He gently took her hand in his as he searched her face, but she seemed a million miles away. "Do you know this agent he's sending out - Romano?"

Julia sighed with a small smile, still replaying the dressing-down she'd received by Wilson. It was one thing to get ripped on for making a hasty conclusion; it was entirely different to be admonished so personally in front of Steve. "Tony was my mentor when I first joined the Service. He's a good guy, and he was one of the lead investigators in the Gombar case from the beginning. You couldn't ask for a better agent for this case. You'll like him; he's smart, well-organized, and thorough. I haven't seen him in years, but it will be good to catch up with him once he arrives," Julia's mood lightened a little at the thought of seeing Tony again.

Steve passively rubbed his thumb across the palm of her hand. He paused for a moment before looking at Julia shyly with his goofy half-grin. "Are we still up for our non-pizza dinner tonight?"

"Are you asking me that because you saw me in my running clothes, or because you owe me dinner?" Julia caught Steve's eye, teasing him just a little as she softly gave his hand a squeeze.

"Maybe I'd just like to have dinner with you. But I owe you dinner for helping us this week, so I suppose it is a twofer. How about I pick you up at 7?" Steve tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, his lips hinting at a smile.

Julia looked at her hands briefly, her cheeks flushed with a mix of excitement and cautiousness as she realized that they were alone – very alone - in her private home office. She wasn't generally a shy person, and she was rarely intimidated by anyone, but that brief realization made her stomach do acrobatics. _So tonight is a date_, she thought. Consciously taking a deep breath, she looked up at him through her long, dark lashes, smiled and nodded.

Steve reached over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as he whispered in her ear, "Thank you for this morning. I promise the next time I drop by it will be for more… personal matters."

Julia's mouth ran dry as she felt his hot breath on her cheek. She closed her eyes slightly, taking a brief moment to regroup. Catching him once more in the eye, she leaned over closely, lingering just inches from his face, and in a low, husky tone, she softly responded, "I expect it will be, Commander."

Her lips chastely touched his, just enough to set off a small tremor that traveled from Steve's lips to his toes. His heart raced briefly in response. _I don't know how she gets to me, but I'm not sure that I care._ With that, Steve followed Julia to the front door.

"Where's Danny?" Julia asked, looking around.

"Good question. Most likely waiting in the car trying to figure out how to text on his cell phone…" Before Steve could finish, he heard a loud noise coming down the stairs.

"Mando Steve, Mando Steve!" Andy, now dressed in khaki shorts and a red Elmo t-shirt, barreled down the stairs in the foyer to crash into Steve's legs. "T-Rex! You take him. He keep you safe. He eats bad guys – he's a carn-ni-vore!"

Steve bent down to talk to Andy and then looked up briefly at Julia, who had a cautious smile on her face. "Hey little man, this is your toy, you hang on to him. We'll play dinos another day, okay?"

"No, you, you! He'll keep you safe, eat da bad guys. Please? You take him!" Andy said, nearly in tears.

"Andy, honey, it's okay," Julia said, picking him up and trying to comfort him, but Andy was insistent. "Steve, I'm sorry about this. It's a phase he's going through. Apparently this is what almost-four-year-olds do. They want to share whatever lovies and comforts they have with their friends. If I have so much as a sniffle, Andy insists I watch cartoons on the couch while he proceeds to retrieve every stuffed animal, blanket, and snuggly to put on or over me," Julia said, chuckling. "For whatever reason, he thinks you need T-Rex to be safe and protected. Do you think you could just stash it in your car for a short while? It would mean a great deal to him," Julia explained, awkwardly.

"Andy, do you really want me to take T-Rex with me? To keep me safe from bad guys?" Andy nodded his head furiously as he wiped a few tears away. "Okay, buddy, I'll borrow him for a little, but I want to make sure you're protected too, so I'll bring him back soon."

"Dat's okay, Mama 'tects me, keeps me safe. You need T-Rex. He can roar!"

"Thanks, tiger. I'm glad you're watching out for me," Steve said, giving Andy a little wink and a fist bump. Andy giggled and buried his head in Julia's neck as she held him close. They waved goodbye as Steve stepped out toward the car, the large plastic T-Rex in hand. _I'm going to catch some serious crap for this one_, he groaned inwardly.

Danny sat in the car, trying to figure out how to check his email on his phone. Chin had programmed it for him, but he found the whole thing entirely too frustrating. _Stupid phone. Stupid email on stupid phone_. As he was tempted to throw the whole thing out of the window, he saw Steve leaving Julia's with a dinosaur in his hand. He could barely contain himself as he waited for Steve to open the car door and get in.

Steve dropped the dinosaur with the gym bag in the back seat and started the car without even so much as looking at Danny. He could feel Danny's smirk before he even got into the car. Putting the Camaro in gear, he stared straight ahead and said in a firm voice, "Don't."

Danny looked out the side window and muttered under his breath, "Whipped."

Steve shot Danny a withering look, "Really, Danno? You're going to go there?"

"What? I didn't say anything to you, it was just a comment to myself about something totally unrelated. After all, _you_ asked me not to say anything about the fact that macho Popeye the Sailorman is driving around town with a large green T-Rex in his back seat. Personally, I think it's not only sweet that you are playing with Andy's dinosaur, but it's also rather appropriate because often, you remind me of a T-Rex, except of course for the flailing useless little arms. But the rest of it, the teeth, the roaring, the chasing down of other dinosaurs and eating them for lunch, _that_ bears some resemblance to you," Danny tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't do it. Rather than laugh, which he knew would drive Steve to aneurysm face, he forced himself to look back out the window.

"Just let it go!"

Danny couldn't bear it anymore. He started to chuckle, then guffaw, before finally he started to laugh so hard his eyes began to water. _Steve is driving around with a big green toy dinosaur. Willingly!_ This was something he never in a million years thought he'd see.

Steve rolled his eyes and felt his entire body become rigid. He _knew_ this would happen. It was only the start of it. "Andy asked me to take it with me for protection," he said, embarrassingly. "Apparently I can say no to just about anyone, but a four-year old who wants to share his favorite toy is my Achilles' Heel."

Danny stopped laughing, and wiped his eyes. _Aneurysm face at its best!_ He felt a little bad for Steve. Just a little, but still… he decided to take pity on him for a moment.

"When Grace was four, she went through a phase where she wanted to share everything she loved. Unfortunately for me, what she loved most was her American Girl doll, Suzanne. She begged me to take Suzanne to work with me. I tried every excuse. Suzanne would miss her, my work would bore Suzanne, but nothing would convince her. Finally, Rachel came up with a compromise – Grace lent me Bun-Bun, a little stuffed brown bunny with long ears that Gracie had had since she was a baby. It was at least smaller and easier to explain than a giant blonde doll," Danny grinned. "My advice? You've got to own it. Yeah, so super-SEAL has a T-Rex. It's better than a bunny or a doll, and you know what? It's pretty cool that Andy likes you enough to want his favorite toy to protect you. Just don't tell Chin or Kono that I said that," Danny laughed as Steve rolled his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to forget the whole thing.


	5. Chapter 5

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the continued reviews and feedback. Special shout-outs to sorree and francis2. Athene – when I wrote Steve's regrets about putting Julia in that position, it occurred to me how superficial the show keeps him, especially for a guy who has really softened toward his team. I feel the same about his relationship on-screen with Cath. He's capable of far more. Please keep 'em coming – I write for me, but I post for all of you!

Steve pulled into the parking space at headquarters and turned off the engine, sitting there looking ahead, drumming his fingers on the wheel. _It's just a dinosaur. Own it. Own a dinosaur? This is ridiculous. I should just stash it in the trunk. Andy and Julia would never know. Well, Julia would know, and if she ever brought Andy over to visit… What if I run into the Governor? What about Chin and Kono? This is nuts. I'm sitting in the car, Danny is staring at me dumbfounded outside my window, all because of a little boy's irrational fear. I am a freakin' highly decorated Naval officer. I've captured terrorists, defused bombs, and survived torture. I can carry a dinosaur into my office and who the hell is going to mess with me? _

"Hey, loverboy, you coming? And don't forget your little friend," Danny taunted.

Grunting, Steve reached behind and grabbed the toy, stepped out of the car, and briefly glowered over Danny. _Height has its advantages, Danno,_ he thought with a smirk. Without a word, he walked quickly toward the building, wishing that he had a bag or something to put over Andy's toy. He could hear Danny's snickering all the way up to Five-0.

Opening the door, he briskly walked through the corridor and straight to his office. Chin and Kono were working in the bullpen, and looked up, confused by Steve's lack of conversation. They looked puzzled at Danny, who wordlessly headed to Steve's office, a wide grin covering his face. Before Danny could reach Steve's door, McGarrett stormed out, waving the dinosaur high above his head.

"Okay, okay! Get it out now. Andy asked me to take his T-Rex and keep it in my office, and I couldn't say no to a little four-year-old boy who was nearly in tears. _There_ it is. I, your _boss,_ have a T-Rex in my office. Danny has shared his snarky opinions all the way here. If you have a comment, or a joke, _say it now_! Otherwise, I'm going into my office, putting this away, and I'm going to start working on this case, which is far more important than a silly toy. Are we clear?" Steve looked around expectedly at his team, his free hand on his hips, his other hand holding T-Rex's wimpy little arm. He loved his team very much, but like family, they could be merciless in their teasing at times. Generally it didn't bother him much, but this was so embarrassing. He really just wanted to forget the entire morning. Well, not the _entire_ morning. But at least the last twenty minutes or so.

"No brah, uh, we're good," Chin said, careful not to smile. As Steve retreated back to his office, Chin looked at Danny who seemed nearly to explode any minute with laughter, while Kono had to excuse herself to the restroom to keep from giggling and pissing off Steve any further. Without commenting at all on the dinosaur drama, Chin started to fill in Danny on their findings. "Danny, the car from this morning was never reported stolen, and when we traced the car back to the rental agency, they have no record that it was rented recently. We're running background on all of the agency employees who had access to the cars right now and we're waiting for footage from the car rental lot from the past two days."

Kono returned, her cheeks red from laughing and a bottled water in her hand, as she avoided Danny's eyes. She knew if she looked at him, she'd burst out laughing again, and that would definitely throw Steve into another tirade. "Danny, do you want me to take those down to the Crime Lab?" she said, staring down at the gym bag.

Danny glanced at Steve through the glass wall of his office as he was rifling his hands through his hair as he looked at his laptop. _Well, he's pretty much toast for the morning._ He started to answer when Steve abruptly stood and opened the door, glaring at the three of them. "Kono, take the bonds down to Forensics, and have them send a few samples over to the Federal Crime Lab. Put a rush on it." He barked out a few more orders, then turned and closed the door to his office, trying to ignore the toy staring at him from his credenza as he got back to work. The three of them burst into laughter one last time.


	6. Chapter 6

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews and feedback. Please keep 'em coming – I read every one!

A few hours later, Chin knocked gently on Steve's door and poked his head in, questioningly. Steve waved him in and looked up at him apologetically. "Got anything on the car?"

"Yeah, we have some things to show you. Do you have a minute?"

Steve nodded, closing his laptop. He'd had trouble concentrating all morning. _My head is spinning, and it has nothing to do with the stupid dinosaur. What am I even doing? What the hell is going on with me today?_ He couldn't get the images of Julia out of his mind, particularly when they'd caught the tail end of her workout. "Sure, Chin. What's on your mind?" he said, a bit defensively.

"Just wanted to see if you're okay, boss. You seem a little edgy today, and I doubt it has to do with your protective detail over there," Chin said, as he gestured his thumb back toward T-Rex.

"I'm fine. Just sorting things out, that's all. It's been a crazy week for all of us. Let's focus on getting what we can on this case. On Monday, the Secret Service is sending out an agent on the case, Tony Romano. I'd like to have all of our ducks in a row before he arrives."

"Got it. Just let us know what you need, and we'll take care of it."

"The most important thing is that we all catch a break this weekend. We've been going non-stop for the past few weeks, and I'm sure this case is going to heat up quickly. Julia…" he stopped himself, realizing that Chin and Kono still didn't know about Julia's history with the Secret Service. "We should find out what we can about Agent Romano before he arrives. I'd like to know who we're dealing with. Let's go see what everyone's turned up so far," he said, standing up and heading out to the smart table before Chin could even respond.

_He's got it bad, _Chin thought. _She's all up and inside his head, and it happened long before he even knew she had a son._ Chin knew that Steve had a protective streak when it came to kids and their moms, and he wondered how he was feeling now that he knew the woman he was attracted to was a mother as well. _This should get interesting._

Kono and Danny were standing around the smart table, as Kono brought up the security images from the rental lot on the screens. Looking back at Chin and Steve, she started to go through them. "Here's the white sedan where we found the bonds this morning. This was taken last night at 9pm. The image is fuzzy, but I've got a brief shot here," she paused, zooming in, "of the driver. I cross-checked his image against the employees, but there's no match. Facial recognition came back negative so far, and but it's definitely not our car thief from this morning. I'm working to clean up the image and I'll try again."

Danny started briefing next. "We found too many prints in the car to flag our suspect, and I doubt we will since in the image you can see he's wearing dark gloves. The bag was clean, but we did get a partial off a few of the bonds as well as a hair fiber. The print was too weak to match against the databases, and the DNA on the hair didn't match known samples, but if we get a suspect, we'll be able to match. The Crime Lab is tracing the ink and the paper, and it does appear that these are forgeries. We've sent a few of the bonds to the Federal Crime Lab in Virginia, but those results will take a few days."

"Okay, did we get anything off of surveillance cameras near the parking lot where the car was stolen?" Steve started to ask, as his phone started to vibrate. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID, and stepped back into his office, closing the door.

"Julia," he said, softly. "How are you?"

"Steve, I'm sorry about what happened this morning with Andy. After you left and I realized what I'd asked you to do, I was mortified. I'm so sorry. You didn't have to do that."

"Hey, it's fine. I'm the boss, remember? I got a little ribbing but it's nothing I couldn't take. Besides, you didn't have to make that call to Wilson. You knew he'd be a jerk, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I'd say I didn't mind, but that would be a lie," she chuckled ruefully. "Listen, I have a conflict for tonight, I'm terribly sorry but I have to cancel our dinner. I was wondering if I could get a rain check?"

Steve's face fell in disappointment. The one thing that was making this day bearable was knowing it would end with taking her to dinner. "Sure. We'll do it another night." He grimaced at his poor choice of words, hoping she didn't pick up on it. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Dean Hertzberg just stopped by. Apparently he's feeling under the weather and asked me to fill in for him tonight as the keynote speaker for the Trustee-Alumni dinner. Faculty were invited but I hate these things. I was planning to blow it off, and now I'm stuck going. Not the evening I had been looking forward to." Steve heard the disappointment in her voice and was quietly relieved that she wasn't just looking for an out on their dinner plans. "You wouldn't want to go with me, would you? It's rather dull, you know, they always pick this stuffed shirt professor to give the keynote speech…" she laughed.

Steve grinned. He loved her self-deprecating humor. It amazed him that as talented and bright as she was, she could poke fun at herself better than almost anyone else. "I'd love to eat overcooked chicken and listen to the stuffy professor. I imagine she has some rather interesting things to say."

"Really, you don't mind? I guess in that case…remember what I said to you this morning as I was calling Wilson?"

"I believe you said I owed you BIG." Steve grinned at the interesting thoughts that came to mind of how he could repay her _big_. _Very interesting thoughts indeed._

"Mind out of the gutter, Commander," Julia gently reproached. "At least for now." She stifled a laugh. "Well, if you came and rescued me tonight from the dull humdrum of schmoozing with stuffy trustees and overblown alumni, we could consider it even. And I would be very appreciative," she continued, teasingly.

"_Very_ appreciative, or just appreciative?" Steve asked. _Jesus, now I'm flirting. Since when do I flirt? I don't think I've ever flirted. I don't even know how to flirt. Do I?_

"It depends, Commander. Cocktails are at 6, and it's black-tie. I assume that you know that means a tux, not a black tie with cargo pants?"

"I think I can handle it. Pick you up at 5:30?"

"Let's make it 5:45. I hate being early to these things. Hey Steve, thanks. I really appreciate your willingness to endure what is most assuredly going to be the highlight of the rip-roaring faculty social season."


	7. Chapter 7

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for continuing to follow - Stelia fans, this one's for you!

Steve rang the doorbell at Julia's house promptly that evening, although, once again, he was certain it was an unnecessary action given the tight security around the perimeter of her house. Sure enough, Allison answered the door almost immediately and welcomed Steve inside.

"Hi, Commander. Julia's upstairs getting ready. She'll be right down. I've got Andy eating dinner in the kitchen, so just make yourself at home," she said as she gestured toward the great room.

Steve began to turn toward the great room when he caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye. Looking upward at the top of the stairs, his eyes narrowed imperceptibly and his breath caught as he followed Julia's slow, graceful decent toward him. Her hair was swept up softly, accenting her impossibly long neck and bare ivory shoulders. She was wearing a royal blue iridescent fitted gown that flared out elegantly at the bottom until it skimmed the top of each stair as she carefully stepped down. As she neared Steve, he thought he saw the briefest glimmer of a smile as she casually glanced over his tuxedo. He exhaled subtly and flashed his most handsome grin at her as he reached out his hand to guide her down the last few steps. He caught just a hint of the intoxicating scent of flowers as she neared… not her usual lavender scent, but something sensual yet subtle… he thought for a moment before he realized they were na'u… _gardenias._

He swallowed hard before speaking. "You look beautiful, Julia." She looked up at him through her long, dark lashes before reaching up to carefully straighten his tie, brushing her hands barely across his shoulders as his hands intuitively encircled her waist. They stood in the foyer, eyes silently locked on each other, neither wanting to break away. The room filled quickly with an unmet, palpable desire as their breathing intensified.

His shoulders were broad and strong, Julia assessed as she let her fingers linger just a moment longer. She longed to run her fingers through his soft chocolate brown hair, but she hesitated uncharacteristically. The draw between them was just too powerful, almost overwhelming her. It was as though a tide had washed over her and was carrying her far out to sea. She found herself lost - lost in the potent emotions, lost in the possibilities that rushed through her mind as she stood there in his arms. Julia softly dropped her hands and shifted her gaze, murmuring "Thank you," before she stepped into the kitchen to kiss Andy goodnight.

Returning to the foyer, she stepped over to the antique Sheraton table to pick up her silk clutch and an organza wrap that matched her dress. Steve opened the door for them, kissing the back of her hand before tucking it in to the crook of his arm. The air was soft and warm, a light breeze rustling the trees. He walked around to the passenger side of the black SUV and helped Julia in. Taking another deep breath, he stepped in to the driver's seat and started the car. _She seems quiet tonight_, he thought, hoping that the morning's events weren't troubling her. He wasn't sure what to say to her, how to broach the subject without intruding.

She looked over at him and smiled, her eyes bright, "It's good to see you, Steve. Thank you for taking me to this dinner tonight. I have to say, I was rather dreading it, but seeing you… well, I'm finding myself grateful for the dean's sudden illness," she said, chuckling slightly. "I wasn't sure if you'd be in your dress uniform or a tux, but I do have to admit you look very dashing – rather 007 – in your dinner jacket."

He smiled a half grin in return. Even though he'd only known her a few days, he knew better than to just take Julia at her word. She could be upbeat and attuned, but her physical demeanor was a far better predictor of what she was really feeling, and Steve was an expert at noticing the smallest changes in body language, particularly hers. Steve kept an eye on the road, but stealthily stole a few glances at Julia. _She seems tense_, he thought. _Perhaps it's just the speech she's going to give, or just the end of a very long week._ His mouth set into a taut line as he remembered seeing her held at gunpoint by Thalia Neman just two days ago. He still blamed himself for putting her at risk that day. He never should have brought her to the suspect's house, armed or unarmed. _I nearly lost her because I was so distracted that I didn't see the danger I was putting her in. She'd be safer if I just let her live her life ensconced in her high-security home with Andy and her work at the University. She'd be safer if she wasn't with me,_ he realized.

Julia sensed Steve's pensiveness, wondering if it had anything to do with her. Granted, she had a lot on her mind these days, aside from work. She felt such uncertainty about the unexpected feelings she was developing for Steve. Part of her was concerned and cautious, while a larger part of her felt drawn to him in a passionate, rather irrational sort of way. And as tempting as it was to give in to her growing feelings, she didn't do irrational. Ever. Irrational in her business was exceptionally dangerous. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.

Steve just turned and smiled at her uncommitedly. He wasn't used to sharing his concerns with anyone, particularly considering she was front and center in his worries. They continued to drive in silence, each working through their feelings in the dark quiet of the car.

They pulled up to the Chancellor's House where a waiting valet opened Julia's door. Before she could step out, Steve was already there offering his hand, which she gratefully accepted. Other couples were filing into the house, which was lit up with twinkling white lights around the portico and tucked into the swaying palm trees. Julia took a deep breath and clutched Steve's arm closely. _What am I doing?_ she thought, her mind racing through the many reasons she should not be getting involved with anyone right now, particularly a former SEAL with an investigative bent and a talent for seeing right through her. Quietly she sighed. It was precisely the fact that he could see right through her that made him completely irresistible.


	8. Chapter 8

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the continued reviews and feedback! Please keep them coming - it helps particularly knowing what you like and what you don't.

Once inside, Julia laid her clutch and wrap at their assigned table. Steve seemed uncomfortable in the increasingly crowded room as she watched his eyes dart around. _Maybe I was a too flirty this morning for my own good_. _God, I'm sorely out of practice with this whole dating thing._ _This is so unlike me, this uncertainty and self-consciousness. Get a grip, Julia! He's here with you, he's here because he wants to be with you, now just pull up your britches and stop wallowing in self-doubt. _Turning to him and taking a breath, she asked, "Shall we get a drink?"

Steve slipped his hand on her waist as he steered her to the bartender. He had to admit, she felt amazing, almost as amazing as she looked. A brief smile worked its way across his face as he thought about how different she looked this morning in those short little running shorts that hugged every curve of her delectable body. He was just about to ask her what she'd like to drink when she leaned conspiratorially toward the bartender, not quite batting her eyelashes at him but coming awfully close.

"Hello. I realize that you have your standard stock of cocktails available, but might there be the slightest chance you have a bottle of Macallan 25 hidden back there for Chancellor Rhodes? I know he's rather a fan of Speyside, and if you should be able to find something in the single-malt frame, I promise it would _absolutely_ be our little secret," Julia said, her eyes flickering softly. The young bartender blushed but sure enough, reached down to pour two small glasses of the single-malt scotch. "You are such a dear," she said, pausing momentarily to glance at his name tag, "Ryan. Could I trouble you for a single cube of ice too? I hate to be a bother."

Steve grinned in spite of himself as they stepped away from the bar and back into the fray. She had a way with men, he admitted, and young Ryan didn't stand a chance. Taking a sip of the aged scotch, he felt the warmth linger in his throat as he looked into Julia's eyes and flashed his dazzling smile at her.

_Oh my_, she thought, noticing the smoldering look in his eyes. She felt the heat rise within her, and not just from the scotch. It seemed to be emanating from Steve, his gaze intensifying as the room continued to fill with people. Several colleagues came over and introduced themselves, but Steve's eyes never left her for more than a moment. As she smiled and laughed at bad jokes she'd heard a million times, she felt Steve's hand protectively around her, gripping her close.

She turned to him after the latest group had moved on and placed her hand gently on his broad chest. "There is one perk of coming here instead of having our dinner out – it's my dull dog-and-pony show, not yours," she laughed, her eyes twinkling in mirth.

Steve smiled broadly and leaned up against her, softly brushing her ear with her nose as Julia held her breath. "It's rather warm in here, don't you think? Come out to the lanai with me," he said in a low voice as his lips gently nipped her neck.

She gasped softly, hesitating for a moment. He looked at her, his face playful but his eyes still intensely watching hers. _It is getting rather warm_, she thought, as she slipped her arm in his. Heading to the open doors, she felt his body suddenly stiffen up. "Steve, what is it?" she questioned, searching his face. Following his look, she realized that she'd spoken far too soon about the merits of boring University dinners. The Governor was strolling purposefully toward them, his security staff right behind him.

"Commander McGarrett, I'm surprised to see you here."

"Governor Denning, sir, I'm here as a guest. I'd like you to meet Dr. Julia Abbott, a professor here at the University.

"Dr. Abbott," the Governor said, cordially, as he extended his hand.

Julia shook his hand firmly. "Governor, it's an honor to meet you. I didn't realize that you'd be attending…"

"Otherwise you'd have warned Commander McGarrett?" Denning interrupted. "That's fine, I'm not going to bother McGarrett with work during a social occasion." Julia felt Steve's body relax slightly. "Dr. Abbott, I understand you were very helpful with Five-O's latest case. I received a very grateful call from the U.S. Attorney's office for bringing them on to the Warren case."

"We wouldn't have gotten the results we did without Dr. Abbott's assistance," Steve nodded toward Julia, a subtle smile hinting at the edges of his lips.

"I was happy to help," Julia said, distractedly.

"We're grateful for the time you took, and I understand that as part of the case, Five-0 uncovered a much larger financial scheme. I'm glad we were able to identify it and shut it down before it became a problem." His Chief of Staff leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Dr. Abbott, Commander, if you'll please excuse me. It was a pleasure to see you. I hope you enjoy your evening," he said, turning toward a group of wealthy alumni donors.

Julia stood still, her face blank for a moment. "Uh, excuse me, Governor," she stuttered, still deep in thought. "I'm sorry, sir, did you say the U.S. Attorney called to thank you for the case referral?"

Governor Denning turned back toward Steve and Julia. "Yes. They were grateful for our help, and even offered to help cover our investigative expenses. Is there an issue, Dr. Abbott?"

"No sir, it's just that… well, often when there is a fraud of this magnitude, the Feds seize all associated assets to offset the unpaid taxes associated with fraud. However, there is also almost always a related state tax liability. And since the state has to willingly give up its jurisdiction… I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. Attorney was calling to ensure that you would give up jurisdiction without making a claim on the seized assets. Most states are not aware that with these joint investigations, there is an opportunity to claim tax revenue as well as investigative expenses. Given that the Feds want jurisdiction in this case very much, I suspect that you could negotiate a rather large claim."

"How large of a claim are we talking about, Dr. Abbott?"

"My guess is, figure a net worth for the Chases of about $80 million, plus equity in Metadyne of over $500 million, so somewhere in the range of $25 to $125 million in tax redress would be reasonable."

The governor grinned broadly. That amount of money would help with the current budget challenges the state was facing, and certainly wouldn't hurt his polling numbers. "Dr. Abbott, I'm impressed. Here's my card – if you have time this week, I'd like you to meet with me and our head of Taxation to help us develop our negotiating strategy and pull together whatever documentation we would need to make our case. _Very_ nicely done, Dr. Abbott," he smiled. "McGarrett."

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep your eye on this one, will you? Maybe we'll need to find her a spot on Five-O." He turned back toward the waiting entourage, still grinning from the potentially good news.

Steve raised an eyebrow at Julia, while she dropped her eyes, blushing slightly. He cupped her chin and brought her eyes up to his. "Tell me this," he said, softly as his thumb brushed gently across her cheek. "Do you impress everyone you meet?"

Julia looked at Steve before taking a large sip of her scotch, finishing it and setting it down on a nearby table. "Did I impress you when we first met?" she asked, as her eyes flirted with his.

Steve smiled, thinking back to his first impressions of her as a cute but rather quirky professor who nearly toppled over her couch trying to grab a tax book. "Was I impressed? Befuddled was more like it."

Julia cocked her head and gazed into Steve's eyes amusingly. "Befuddled, huh? I suppose that's not too bad, considering."

Steve leaned forward and asked her, his voice slightly husky. "Did I impress you?"

The corners of Julia's mouth twitched upward just slightly, her eyes hooded and heavy with something other than just amusement. Emboldened by the warmth of the scotch, she placed her hand on his arm and whispered in his ear. "Commander, I'd say that you are a rather impressive individual, in more ways than one." His proximity was intoxicating, and Julia was thinking that she needed to clear her head, quickly, before she found herself even more out of her realm.


	9. Chapter 9

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for feedback - I realize with the holidays it has trickled down somewhat. Feedback means a great deal to me - it helps me be a better writer and produce stories you're interested in, and even if you just have a few comments, it helps me shape the story better! Please keep them coming - even anonymous feedback!

Steve watched Julia as she stepped gracefully up to the podium. As she spoke earnestly about the role of education and research in shaping modern society, he saw how impassioned she was about her work. The audience sat in rapt attention, enthralled by her magnetism. She joked, cajoled, and ultimately inspired the audience, and when she finished, nearly everyone stood in thunderous applause. Steve was intrigued. Not only was she a brilliant analyst, but she was also a gifted speaker. He'd never known anyone who was able to inspire a room full of people except for politicians, and he'd had little interest in their rhetoric. But Julia's speech, which he noticed she gave without notes, was heartfelt and convincing. _How does she manage to do that? She's such a dichotomy,_ he thought, his own impressions jumbled with his emotions and his deepening attraction to her.

The band started to play as Julia wove her way through the congratulatory crowd back to Steve. He stood, kissing her chastely on her cheek before holding out her chair for her. The other table members continued to twitter about her speech while she drank her water and smiled slyly toward him. _He is so damned handsome in his tux. Dark, dashing, and a little bit dangerous._ _Way too dangerous, and I should just walk away, but I can't. _ "What did you think?" she asked, sounding a little unsure of herself.

"It's true, then."

"What is?" She was rather confused. Maybe it was the after effects of the scotch, or more likely it was the heady feeling she had sitting so close to Steve, but the butterflies in her stomach were flitting all about as Steve continued to look intensely at her.

"You do impress everyone you meet."

Julia laughed uproariously. _God, I love that sound, _Steve thought, realizing that it was the first time he'd seen her let go and enjoy herself since they'd first met. He was entranced by her. It wasn't just her looks, or her wit. It was her modesty, her vulnerability, and her strength. She was puzzling, yes, and there was so much more about her he didn't know, and didn't understand. But in this moment, she was happy, and Steve wanted nothing more than to continue her joy.

He traced his fingers gently along her cheek, admiring her shining eyes. _She's so beautiful, so alive. The way she makes me feel… it's like she sees something in me no one ever has before… I don't understand it. _Hearing the music change, he stood, gallantly offered her his hand, and leaned down to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, his eyes hopeful. She smiled happily, nodding politely to their table companions as they stepped to the dance floor. His left hand gently pressed against her lower back, as his right firmly held hers.

She leaned forward and whispered softly in his ear, "You never cease to surprise me, Steven."

He inhaled sharply as his eyes darkened, his mouth turning into a wry smile that left Julia breathless. He pulled her closer to him, his cheek gently pressed to hers, as they spun around the dance floor effortlessly in perfect time to the music. His lips brushed her cheek, his soft voice murmuring in her ear, "I cannot get you out of my mind." His hand stroked her back softly, his thumb carefully running along the top edge to her gown, as he continued, wickedly, "And more importantly, I cannot wait to get you out of this room."

Julia's mind reeled from the heady feelings that stirred something very deep inside of her. Her mouth went dry for a moment as she let herself get swept into the music, the sensation of Steve's arms holding her close, and the burning desire to be somewhere much more private with him at this very moment. Her need burned bright as her cheeks flushed with the dance and with her thoughts. She looked up at him, their eyes locked in an intense gaze that spoke far more than words.

As the song ended, Julia held onto Steve for a moment, reluctant to leave his arms. She reached up to brush her lips just barely across his smoothly shaven cheek, taking in the heady mix of his clean, outdoorsy scent. A shiver ran up Steve's back as he gripped Julia closer. His eyes looked down at hers intensely as he took a deep breath. Huskily, he whispered in her ear. "Shall we go?" His words were much more of a statement than a question.

Nodding, she let him escort her back out to the SUV, grateful for the cool night air that helped mask the flush on her cheeks. He gently lifted her into the passenger side, climbed in on the other side, and headed back toward her house. Julia thought about their dance, about how his body felt against hers. More than anything, she wanted him to take her home with him, but she couldn't find the voice to ask him. _It's too soon,_ she thought. _I can't rush this, as much as I wish to God I could. I'm not used to this… frustration. Breathe, Julia, just breathe_. She looked out the window at the passing landscape, her cheeks still hot with desire. She felt him reach over and take her hand, running his thumb absently across her knuckles. Turning to him, she smiled and gripped his hand before laying her head softly against his shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the continued reviews and feedback! I've been swamped with real work, so my apologies in the delay. Enjoy and please comment! Yes, I know it's taking a bit of time for them to get together... but Steve has always been a sex-first, what-else? kind of guy. Julia is definitely not that kind of girl, and he knows this. Besides, good things come to those who wait :-) In this case, it's a chapter and a half! Thanks for your patience!

It seemed like it was just a few minutes later when they pulled up to her house. Julia sat up, took out her iPhone and hit a few buttons to open the automated gates before tucking it back into her evening bag and reaching over to take Steve's hand once again. He pulled the SUV into the driveway and turned off the engine. Before stepping out of the car, he lifted her hand to his and softly kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. Moving around the front of the car, he opened her door and carefully helped her out of the vehicle. He smiled to himself as he thought about his earlier conversation with Danny.

"_So when are you going to ask her out?"_

"_Ask her out? What, like we're in junior high?" Steve rolled his eyes and shrugged._

"_You are acting a bit like junior high. Or maybe sixth grade. Just pull her pigtails already and ask her out on a date. Like a normal person. It's not like we don't all see it."_

_Is that what normal people do? _He had to admit, he rather felt like he was back in junior high. He wanted to kiss her again, hell, he wanted to head over to his place and carry her right up to his bed. But as deep as his desire was for her, he sensed a delicate balance over everything at this moment. He wanted her more than he'd wanted any woman before. Holding her in his arms tonight confirmed everything he'd been feeling since that first moment in her office. But something was holding him back. He was afraid he'd hurt her if he moved too quickly. They'd just met a few days ago, and already he couldn't get her out of his mind. And there was that other thing, the fear rising deep in the pit of his stomach. _What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? _

All too soon, they reached her front door. She reached up and gently caressed his soft jaw line again. Her eyes closed languidly as the emotions from the evening flooded her heart and her mind. _It is too soon_, she thought, _too soon on many levels_. _Damn. _She wished for once she could be careless and not play out endless scenarios in her head. _Why do I always have to be so damned responsible? I don't want tonight to end. Not just yet. I shouldn't do this, but… I can't get him out of my mind. _"Hey," she smiled as she cocked her head to the side, "join me out by the beach for a drink?"

Steve smiled in agreement as they headed into the house. Julia kicked off her Jimmy Choos, sighing with relief as her height dropped about three inches. Steve shook his head and chuckled – he never understood why women wore such uncomfortable shoes, but he had to admit she looked stunning in them.

"I have cordials, beer, Scotch, Cognac, a delicious Sauternes chilling in the fridge, as well as other wine. What's your pleasure?" she said, with just a hint of salaciousness.

"Would it put a bad spin on an elegant evening if I just had a beer?"

"Not at all. I've got to run upstairs for a minute to check on Andy – can you grab two Longboards from the fridge? I'll be right back."

Steve found the beers and looked around the immaculate kitchen. _She must like to cook_, he thought, looking at the Viking six burner range and the various gourmet accessories artfully placed around the spacious kitchen. _There's so much about her I don't know. So much more to find out._ Julia returned and reached out for her beer, clinking it against his in a quiet toast. "Come," she said, reaching for his hand as they stepped out into the moonlit night.

Down by the beach there were two Adirondack-style chairs and a small table between them. Julia shivered slightly from the breeze coming off the ocean. "Are you cold?" Steve asked, shrugging out of his jacket before she could respond. She welcomed the presence of his warmth, and the powerful scent of Steve mixed with subtle cologne and the clean scent of his body wash. It was intoxicating and overwhelming. She sat in one of the chairs, sipping her beer and looking out over the water as Steve joined her in the other chair. Silence ensconced them as Julia felt the electric tension build between them. Trying to distract herself from the passion growing inside of her, she looked at Steve and took a deep breath. "Last night, I shared with you why I left the Service, but you haven't told me why you left Naval Intelligence to join the SEALs."

Steve sighed and untied his tie and the top button of his tux shirt, before taking a swig of his beer. Truth was, he hadn't thought about it much. The opportunity arose to go to BUD/S and he grabbed it. "In hindsight, I guess I wanted to be more hands-on. In Intelligence, I developed reports and analysis for others to act on. Even though my career would have gone farther if I'd stayed there, I felt that I had to do more. Becoming a SEAL enabled me to have more of an impact," he said, simply.

"It must have been a hard transition – from a SEAL to the Reserves and Five-0."

"In some ways it has been. Danny, Chin, and Kono don't know what it's like to be in the Navy, and to be a part of an intense brotherhood like my SEAL team. The situations we saw, the things we did…." He paused, taking a long drink from his beer, "Very few can understand what it's like. Combat, particularly our type of combat, is difficult to explain," he said quietly.

Julia nodded her head imperceptibly. She knew, more than Steve could ever understand, what that sort of experience could do to a person, how it could haunt you, change everything you thought you once believed in. "Sometimes, in spite of my friends and family, I feel so alone." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "It's impossible to talk about, even if I could." She stopped herself and froze for a minute. The beer, the cocktails and wine at dinner, and the safe, relaxed way she felt about Steve was leading her down a dangerous path of revealing far too much. She quickly recovered. "My experiences were very different from yours. You were a front-line combatant. That puts an entirely different spin on everything. You had your team, but it must have been difficult to balance that sort of intense commitment with ordinary life."

Steve reached over to stroke her hand, sending chills through Julia's body. He polished off his beer and stood up to set it on the table before pulling her up to stand in front of him. His arm encircled her petite frame, and his hand reached up to carefully release the clip in her hair as he ran his fingers through her silky chestnut mane. "You're so beautiful. Sometimes, I look at you and I just…" His feelings were so strange and unusual for him, he was confused by their intensity. He started to give in to the draw he felt toward her. He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip. He looked into her hazel eyes, lost for a moment in their depth, in the emotions evident there. He kissed her softly at first, then deepened his kiss to explore her tongue with his.

His breath increased as she responded, her hands reached up around his neck, pulling him closer. She felt her cheeks redden, his kiss reaching down to the depths of her belly, drawing up a desire and urgency she had put away a long time ago. Her rationality slipped away as she felt her self pulled deeper and deeper into his kiss, into her need for him. Their bodies wound themselves together as they both started to get lost in the passion that had been simmering between them since the moment they first met.

"Steve…" Julia said breathlessly as she broke their kiss and stepped back cautiously, trying to regain some control over her emotions. "The other day, when we kissed in the stairwell, you said we could take it slow. I need to. I'm not sure I _want_ to, but I'm …." She paused, looking down at her hands as her fingers nervously twisted her watch around her delicate wrist. She continued, barely whispering, "I'm scared."

Steve's eyes looked with concern into hers where he saw a fissure of pain breaking through. "What is it? What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know… everything. Nothing. I'm a mess of a thousand different emotions and I'm trying to sort them out but… I'm scared of hurting you, of how all of this will affect Andy, and especially…" She tried to force the lump in her throat to go away, rather unsuccessfully, "I'm scared of losing you."

Steve could barely catch his breath. Julia was beguiling, beautiful, and intelligent, but she had a way of opening herself to him that brought him to his knees. _I don't know if I can ever be as honest as she is. She's been through so much, she's seen more than she ever should've had to, and here she is, laying her heart in my hands._ Steve's concerns about vulnerability and getting caught up in her seemed so petty now. He took her face gently in his hands, and softly yet urgently kissed her, a kiss filled with future promises and potential. He didn't have the words to express himself like Julia did, but he could still lay his emotions out for her, even if they were embroiled in a kiss. He held her close, tucking her head gently into his shoulder as he caressed her hair. He closed his eyes briefly, wanting to hold on to this moment for just a bit longer. Reluctantly, he pulled back, and looked into her eyes. His hand reached up to tuck a stray hair back behind her ear. "Tomorrow?" he asked hopefully. "If you and Andy don't have plans, we could head to the beach? I've been practicing my sand castle building techniques."

Julia smiled, relieved at the change in conversation as well as Steve's response. "Sounds wonderful. If you like, you can come on over and I'll make my famous Mickey Mouse pancakes, say around 9? If it's not too much," Julia backpedalled slightly. She didn't want to overwhelm Steve with too much Saturday morning domesticity.

"Until then," Steve said, reaching down to grab the lapels of his jacket and pull Julia in closely. He bent down so tenderly to nuzzle her neck, savoring the smell of sweet gardenias. His mouth softly covered hers as his hands moved up to hold her head gently in his hands. Julia leaned in closer, inviting his mouth to hers. He took full advantage of the invitation, sweetly but insistently reaching in to tease her tongue with his. Her hands reached up to caress the back of his neck, his soft moan barely audible as it brought a welcome flush to Julia's cheeks. His hands moved down of their own accord to cup her behind, pulling her into him as his kiss intensified. Her breath sharpened, and Steve stepped back, chastened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I got carried away."

Silently she took him by the hand and led him back toward the house. _How do I tell him it's okay, that he doesn't have to hold himself back? More than anything, I want to let go, but I just don't know how, and I'm terribly afraid it's not safe for him, or for me._

As they walked through the house to the courtyard and then the driveway, Julia slipped off Steve's jacket and helped him into it. Standing behind him, she was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions that their passionate encounter had released. She held him tightly across his chest, melting her body into his and resting her head between his shoulder blades. She felt his body relax into her arms satisfyingly. She turned him to face her as she held on to his strong biceps with both hands. "Steve," she spoke softly, staring deep into his eyes, "I never do anything I don't want to do. I'm not fragile, and I'm not going to break. I'm scared, yes, but only because I'm not sure I've ever felt this way before, and because it's no longer just me if I screw up. I don't want you to worry," she ran her thumb softly across the lines on his face, "because no matter what, I'll be okay."

He smiled softly at her, impressed by her candor but unable to match it in the least. He reached down to chastely kiss her goodnight before climbing in the SUV to drive home.


	11. Chapter 11

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Many thanks for the follows & feedback! Duffster21 – welcome! Ah, build-up makes everything delightfully more intense (as in real life). Glad you are enjoying. To my guests, thank you! Please stay and read more! Athene – earlier notes weren't directed at you, but I wanted to tell you I love your comments. I don't think of Julia as strong but given what she does on a daily basis, I suppose she truly is. More to come there. I'm surprised there have been few comments on Julia's mysterious background? More to come there as well!

By the time they got back to Julia's house on Saturday, Andy was fast asleep in the back of her Jeep, his sun-kissed cheeks flushed from a long day at the beach followed by a cookout at Steve's house and shave ice at Kamekono's. Julia carefully opened the back door, and started to unbuckle Andy from his car seat, trying not to wake him. She felt Steve's presence as his cheek brushed softly against her hair and his hand gently lay on her back. "Here, let me take him," he whispered softly. She stepped aside, watching him gently lift Andy up against his chest. Andy grabbed Steve's neck fiercely, mumbling something as Steve quietly shushed him back to sleep. Julia grabbed the beach bags and backpacks before quietly closing the car door behind them.

"Upstairs, top right bedroom," she whispered once they stepped in to the house, Steve silently climbing up the stairs as Andy barely stirred. _He really is a ninja, only now he's a ninja with a big sleepy toddler on his chest. _Dropping the bags in the foyer, she followed them up the stairs, admiring the image of Steve holding her little boy. _I shouldn't do this, I shouldn't get ahead of myself, _she thought, but the warm memories of the beautiful day at the beach, coupled with the love she felt toward her son spilled over and mixed in a beautiful mess of emotions. Julia flicked on the blue nightlight as she stepped into Andy's room, and leaned in front of Steve to tug down the bed covers. She quietly went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of T-Rex jammies that she'd bought for Andy on a recent trip to London. They were his favorite – showing a T-Rex stomping on a double-decker bus, which he thought was absolutely hilarious.

Steve stepped back, looking around Andy's room. The nightlight set a soft blue glow about the room. Next to Andy's bed was a large picture of Andy as a baby being held by Peter. _It must be hard to grow up without a daddy, little man. _As Julia quickly changed Andy out of his clothes and into his jammies, Andy stirred and woke.

"Sing, mama, sing our song," Andy said, sleepily. Steve picked up a well-loved threadbare yellow blanket off of the floor and handed it to her. She turned and smiled at him, before tucking it in next to Andy. Quietly, she sat down on the bed next to her son and started to softly sing, stroking his hair along his forehead as his eyes started to drift closed again.

_I pray you'll be our eyes_

_And watch us where we go_

_And help us to be wise_

_In times when we don't know_

_Let this be our prayer_

_As we go our way_

_Lead us to a place_

_Guide us with your grace_

_To a place where we'll be safe_

She reached down and kissed her sleeping son gently on his forehead, nuzzling his soft sweet cheek. Steve quietly took her hand and pulled her up to him, his eyes shining. He had never seen anything so personal, so intimate. He realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time, his chest tight with awe for this woman, this beautiful person that he couldn't believe was standing here with him.

Julia smiled at him, a little embarrassed and flushed as she led Steve out of Andy's room and softly closed the door behind them. She exhaled and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, still holding Steve's hand. Dropping his hand briefly, she headed over to the iPod, selecting a favorite playlist. Norah Jones started to croon "Come Away with Me" softly over the speakers. "Nightcap?" she asked, heading for the fridge. It had been a long and special day, but she was tired.

"Thank you for today, and for tonight," he said, reaching for her hand again and pulling gently toward him. He reached around her to gather her in his arms. He ran his hands softly up her bare arms up to her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. His head dipped to press his forehead against hers, as she closed her eyes briefly, placing her hands cautiously on his chest.

They swayed softly to the music, her arms drifting up to find the soft tendrils of his hair at the base of his neck. Her nose nudged his gently, and his lips softly kissed at the edges of her mouth as the familiar charge between them started to grow. His breath hitched, and he pulled her closer to take her mouth in his. His kisses were slow and languid, relaxed and sweet, as if he could spend the entire night just exploring her lips and tongue. She felt the deep tension inside of her build again in spite of her exhaustion. It took all of her will to let herself follow his gentle lead, and not give in to the urgent desire she felt for him.

"Will you sing for me sometime?" he asked, huskily. Julia smiled at the unexpected question and tilted her head at him.

"Not a lullaby, I take it?"

"Oh, I don't know. It might be nice for you to sing me to sleep."

A million flirty responses popped inappropriately into her head. She didn't want to lead him on, but the thought of sleeping with Steve made her tingle all over her body. She reached up to kiss him again. _I could get used to this_.

Steve felt the stirrings within the two of them increase, and he cautiously stepped back. "It's late. I should get going," he said, unconvincingly.

As much as she wanted him to stay, she knew that she couldn't ask him. There was the added complication of a curious almost-four-year-old upstairs, not to mention a nanny in a nearby room and the added reality that they barely knew one another. As Julia thought of all of the reasons not to ask Steve to stay, one loomed far beyond the others. _He doesn't know you, Julia. He can't ever really know you. And until you're sure that he'll be okay with that, you are playing with fire. _ She smiled a forced grin. "I wish I could ask you to stay, but… it's complicated right now."

Steve caressed her cheek, Julia leaning softly into his hand. "I know. You don't need to explain." A small smile crept across his face. "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"

"Nothing special. Do you have something in mind? Alison will be here to care for Andy, if you wanted to do something that didn't involve dinosaurs or sand castles," she smiled, teasingly.

"I have an idea. Pick you up at 8, and I'll treat you to breakfast."

"Just breakfast? Steve, I need a hint so I have some idea what to wear."

"Just dress like I usually do, and you'll be ready for _anything_," Steve grinned.

Julia rolled her eyes at him. _How does he do that? Get me all hot and bothered, tug at my emotions, and then in a flash, it's like he's a little boy teasing me._ "Considering you wore a tux last night, and wore it well, I'll give you that concession. This time. But to be on the safe side, I think I'll pack a change of clothes. Not that I don't trust you… but I don't trust your fashion sense," she said, smirking.

"I wouldn't recommend smirking at me, Julia," he warned.

"Why is that, Steven?"

"Because," he paused, "you just might find yourself on uncomfortable ground," he smirked back, pulling her suddenly toward him in a dramatic dip as he kissed her passionately on her stunned, open mouth. Just as quickly, he set her upright again, grinning knowingly as she tried to catch her breath while she smoothed down her sundress.

Determined not to let Steve get the last word, or last kiss, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly around his waist. As he wrapped his arms around her one more time, her lips barely grazed against the base of his throat. She looked up at him with her wry smile and said very softly so that he had to strain to hear her, "I think you'll find that I don't _mind_ the ground, uncomfortable or otherwise."


	12. Chapter 12

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Great feedback - thank you thank you! Special shout-out to Gone2Far, a new reviewer - thanks for your following! Francis2, Duffster21, Athene - love your comments. I also realized I hadn't thanked my best beta reader - Cokie316! Cokie did a ton of work helping me to tighten up my story when I first wrote it a few months ago. Speaking of which, I'm writing the next story, tentatively titled Awakened, and am looking for another beta - if you are interested, please drop me a PM. In the meantime, enjoy and keep those great comments coming, they mean a great deal to me!

"So you're not going to tell me where we're going." Julia crossed her arms, a bit petulant, as they drove in Steve's blue Silverado toward an unknown location. _It's far too early in the morning for this. I was thinking of a romantic breakfast by the water, delicious coffee, perhaps a continuation of last night's kisses. Driving aimlessly around the island was definitely not what I had in mind._

Steve flashed his big grin at Julia, not giving anything away. He looked over at her, noticing her khaki hiking shorts accenting her toned legs, her white tank top hugging her curves, and her chestnut hair that she'd left loose around her shoulders.

"And we're not going to breakfast."

"Not yet."

"And this is somewhere we have to go first because…"

Steve grinned at her again.

"I should remind you that you're not the only one trained in advanced interrogation techniques," she said grumpily. Steve reached over to take her hand in his, before pressing her open palm against his lips as a small tremor quickly trailed from her hand far south.

"Okay, that's just not fair. In fact, it's slightly mean." Julia pouted. _Pouting? Why am I pouting? If he's playing games, then clearly I'm not playing this one right_. She thought for a moment before taking his hand, turning it over, and softly drawing circles in his palm. She glanced over at Steve, who was maintaining a stoic poker face. _Hmm, right idea, wrong execution_. Placing his hand on her bare thigh, just at the edge of her hiking shorts, she reached over toward Steve. Ever so carefully, she extended one finger and began to trace a line from just under his ear, toward the collar of his t-shirt, and then slowly under his collar. Steve shifted slightly. Casually Julia leaned back against the seat of his truck, closed her eyes, and repeated the same pattern with her finger.

Steve was trying his hardest not to get distracted by Julia's intoxicating touch. He started by thinking about his latest case, but counterfeit bonds was no match for the slow _down-across-under-up_ pattern of Julia's finger on his neck. Then he started thinking about surfing, which then reminded him of Julia in her bright pink bikini yesterday, and that didn't work. _God, she is making me so hot right now._ He started to run his hand slowly up her thigh, tracing his fingers in a little pattern of his own. Now Julia was shifting in her seat rather uncomfortably.

"Okay, I give up! No coffee, no breakfast, no hints, no… Steve, can you cut a girl some slack and give me something?" Julia was definitely outplayed here. She'd always gotten what she wanted, and now she had no idea what he had in store for her.

He beamed a wide grin at her as they pulled off the H-3 and up to main gate at MCBH Kaneohe Bay. After checking in with his Navy ID, he continued up the ridge to Ulupau Crater. He pulled up the Silverado to the top of a dusty knoll, with a squad of Marines passing by, marching double-time in full pack gear. He gave her an infectious half-smile, then led her out of the truck and kissed her squarely on the lips. "Come on, I want you to meet someone."

Puzzled, Julia took Steve's proffered hand and stepped in front of the truck as an older man got out of a nearby car. Her breath caught momentarily before she forced herself to push down her reaction and keep her face and body language neutral. _Careful_…

"Julia, I'd like you to meet…."

"Commander White! What are you doing here, sir?" Julia stepped up and offered her hand.

Joe reached out to shake her hand and pulled her into a friendly hug. "It's just Joe now, Dr. Abbott. I've retired from the Navy and am enjoying island life."

"Retired? I hadn't heard. Congratulations. And please, call me Julia. It's been a long time, and yet it seems like it was just the other day." _What the hell is he doing here?_ Her mind darted as she tried to analyze seeing his very unexpected face, here, of all places, and with Steve.

Steve looked at Julia and Joe, completely confounded. "You two know each other?"

Julia looked at Joe, who just smiled at her. _Gee, thanks, Joe. First you pop up unexpected, and then you leave me hanging. Still trying to test me?_ Turning to Steve, she explained. "Commander White and I worked on a joint Secret Service-Navy task force a few years back. Joe was always the kind of guy that had my back regardless of what was going on," she said, turning her attention to Joe as she emphasized her point. _You had my back, Joe. I hope you still do._ "So how do you and Commander White, uh, Joe, know each other?" Julia looked at Steve, and then back at Joe pointedly.

"Steve's dad and I were old friends, and I was his instructor at BUD/S. We've kept in touch, particularly when I retired from the Navy last year and moved permanently out here. When Steve said he was bringing a friend this morning, I had no idea you two knew each other." Joe smiled, rather enigmatically.

_Why don't I quite believe you, Joe?_ "Steve and I met working on a case last week. I'm now a professor at the University of Hawaii, but I still do some contracting work here and there when my help is needed."

Steve watched as Julia kept her face blank and even. _Why is she tense? Did something happen years ago?_ Steve thought for a moment, trying to decide who was more elusive and taciturn – Julia or Joe. He might hold more sway with Julia, but it was unlikely that either of them would fill him in any time in the near future. "I asked Joe here to be our judge and jury."

Julia stiffened slightly, her face forced into a casual smile. "Judge and jury? For what?"


	13. Chapter 13

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thank you thank you for the continued feedback and fan notes. I think you'll enjoy this one. Please let me know if you do (or don't)! I love writing the banter, and hope that comes across.

"Well, I believe we had a little debate on who were the better marksmen – SEALs or the Secret Service," Steve grinned, his a look of self-satisfaction beaming across his face.

Julia laughed, her eyes filled with mirth. "I wouldn't say it was a debate. I just mentioned that the Navy usually comes to the Service to help with training and techniques. I believe it was you who commented that SEALs were by far the better marksmen."

"Okay kids, so are we going to settle this?" Joe interrupted, smiling. "What's the bet?"

Julia looked at Steve, and with a darkened sexy look in her eyes, she decided it would be best for her to recommend something. "Let's see. How about if you win, I make you whatever dinner you would like – appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I'm an accomplished cook – and with the exception of lobster, which I'm allergic to, I can make you just about anything you can _imagine_."

Steve stood with his arms crossed, drumming his fingers on his lips. _I know what I'd like to have for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert… but I'm not sure they are on the menu._ "Sounds fair. I'd like to have you cook and wait on me for an evening. I think that would be rather…. suiting," he grinned cockily. "But if by some miracle you win, what would you want? I can cook, but not that well."

Julia thought about it. What she _really_ wanted she couldn't mention in front of Joe, and she suspected she didn't need to win a bet to get it, either. "Miracle? I think you're pushing your luck, sailor," she said, mockingly. "Hmm, speaking of which, I assume you sail? I haven't been out at sea in a long time. If I win, we go sailing for the day – but you make all of the arrangements, pack the gear, handle the food, and I just show up for the ride," she said, her face alit with the thought of a day at sea with Steve.

Steve instantly had an image of Julia in her bikini laying on the top deck of a sailboat, wet and glistening from an afternoon swim. His stomach growled, and not from a lack of food. Clearing his throat, he stated, simply, "Deal," extending his hand to Julia's to shake on it as his hand lingered on hers.

"Alright kids, if you two can simmer down, here are the rules. Two rounds – one long range with my pick of a rifle, and the other shorter, in the shooting range inside with a standard issue pistol. Three shots. Best grouping takes the round. Who's going first?

Julia looked at Steve, grinning. "Rock, paper, scissors?" He nodded – three, two, one – and her paper covered his rock. "You first, my friend," she said as she stepped back to watch.

Joe handed Steve his rifle and pointed to the target at 650 yards. Steve crouched down on to his belly, lining up the shot. Julia fished out her binoculars out of her backpack, and Joe watched the target carefully with his sighting tool. Steve let out three shots in succession, all hitting the small target perfectly into the kill zone. He stood up, brushed off some dirt from his cargos, and grinned at Julia, his eyes focused on hers in an unrelenting stare.

"Exceptional grouping, Steve. Julia, that's going to be tough to beat."

She quietly released her breath. _Damn, he's good. So it's true then, he really was one of the best snipers out there. Well, we all have to use the gifts God granted us._ She looked at Steve through heated eyes, a faint smile catching the edge of her lips as she handed him the binoculars. Carefully, she took his hand as she got down on her knees, before laying out on the small pad in front of the rifle. She brushed her long hair back from her shoulders and slipped in her ear plugs, knowing Steve was watching her every move. Squirming a little bit, she wriggled her rear as she got into position, flat on the ground, propped up on her elbows. She could almost feel Steve's blush from her position as she sensed his intense gaze follow her body from head to toe. _Exactly. Just leveraging all of my assets, Steve. _

Julia looked through the sight, and adjusted the rifle's scope slightly. She looked again, and instantly her body was stock still. She carefully held her breath, gently releasing her first shot. It hit the target in the kill zone, but just a little to the left. _Damn_. Readjusting the scope barely, she took her second and third shots, right in the center. She pushed up back on to her knees, as Steve reached down to help her stand, his eyes intense on hers. She pursed her lips, reluctantly acknowledging her defeat as she removed her ear plugs. "First round is yours. You're tough to beat."

Steve watched her intently, his lopsided grin threatening to take over his face. He'd seen that she was a good shooter, but he hadn't expected her to be that good. If she hadn't slightly overcompensated on the first shot, she might have actually… well, she was close, very close. And she certainly was the cutest sharpshooter he'd ever seen. He watched as Julia broke down the rifle in record time, put it in the case, and handed it to Joe. _She seems a little… forced with Joe. Small world that they know each other, I suppose, but I wonder what happened on that operation. Julia and Joe are cut of the same cloth – hard to read, and harder to break._

"You two make an impressive pair, but Julia's right, the first round goes to Steve. Let's head down to the pistol range," Joe stated with a smile, as he put the rifle away in his car.

Julia held Steve's hand as he led her down to the pistol range. Shyly, she looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He caught her eye and gave her his megawatt grin, the one that always took her breath away. H_e seems happy and carefree. Maybe it's all of the guns and ammo_, she thought, wryly. In spite of the surprise of seeing Joe, Julia was happy to be here as well. She was an excellent shot and it was rare that she was bested, but in this case, she didn't mind much. She was rather impressed with Steve's abilities, but more so, she was impressed that he was willing to compete against her. Few men were comfortable with the potential for being upstaged by a woman, though she had to remind herself that Steve probably assumed he'd win, regardless of her gender.

After checking in with the Weapons Safety Officer, they put on their goggles and ear protection and took the standard issue M9 Beretta down to the appointed station. Julia stepped up to shoot first, as Joe sent the target to the 50 yard mark. Confidently, she loaded the M9, checked the chamber, released the safety before aiming and rapidly firing three shots. Without a word, she chambered the gun and lay it on the table as she brought back the target and removed her ear protection. Putting her finger through the single hole that was dead set in the center of the target, she grinned at Steve.

Steve took a closer look at the target, and letting out a low whistle, stated with a small smile, "Impressive."

"You're up," she said, handing him the pistol.

Joe hung the second target on the rack, and set it back to 50 yards. After everyone put back on their safety gear, Steve stood and took his three shots. They were excellent shots, a very tight cluster dead center, but before he even pulled back the target, Steve knew she'd won. He smiled at her as he recalled the target, watching carefully as Julia gently bit her lip in anticipation. He released the ammo and chambered the weapon, then removed his gear and crossed his arms, looking at Joe and Julia with just a touch of resignation_. Can't win 'em all, but this is definitely a first. Outshot by a woman, and a civilian at that. _

After returning the weapon and gear to the WSO, the three stepped out into the bright morning sun. Steve put his arm gently around Julia's waist, hugging her to him as they walked back to the cars. Turning to his friend, he said, "Well, Joe? I take it you're going to declare a tie."

Joe smiled uncommitedly, "Yup, it appears you both have one up on the other. We could do a full weapons course as a tie-breaker, but something tells me," he paused, looking at Steve's hand rubbing gently along Julia's arm, "you two have something else in mind. Might I suggest that you both consider it a win? Oh, and son, I wouldn't recommend that you compete against this lovely lady again. Next time, she'll probably beat you."


	14. Chapter 14

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: My apologies for the delay - I had some major family crises that make the fictional world look far more blissful. Please continue to comment, I love your feedback and it very much keeps me going. Still looking for Beta readers for the next story in the series - PM me if interested. Thanks!

Laughing, Julia kicked up the ocean spray at Steve. He grabbed her around her waist as she squealed with delight. Pulling her closely, he reached down to kiss her, at first sweetly, then increasing in intensity until it was hard, hot, possessive. His hands skimmed across her flat abdomen, his finger slipping teasingly under the waistband of her bikini. A moan escaped her lips as her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer to her, closer, undeniably closer…

An annoying buzzing sound interrupted, waking Steve up. His heart was pounding, his mouth dry. _Crap. Damned alarm_. He reached over to hit the snooze bar and rolled over into his pillow, nuzzling it as he tried to get back to the beach with Julia. He stopped, his eyes opened as he laid back on his pillow and covered his eyes with his arm. _What am I doing? It's one thing to fantasize about a girl, Steve, it's an entirely different thing to dream about her. It's just because this is new. She's new, we're new, that's what this is. I'm distracted, but nothing's changed, hell, we haven't even slept together. _He stretched his arms upward as he began to waken more, only to notice his early morning reaction. _ Damn. I've just got to focus on work. Everything will fall into place, it always does. _Still, something nagged at the back of Steve's mind, something reminding him of these feelings, of an unexpected need that Julia seemed to have stirred up inside of him.

His swim did little to clear his mind. The warm Pacific waters were usually cathartic for him, particularly in the early morning when his mind was sometimes a little foggy from sleep and stress. This morning was different. Try as he might, he couldn't get Julia out of his thoughts. He kept picturing her relishing the challenge yesterday at the shooting range, then later keeping pace with him as they hiked through challenging terrain in Ka'a'awa Valley. It was hard to reconcile her strength and determination with her admission to him that she was frightened. As he toweled off and headed inside to grab a shower before work, he kept replaying their conversation on the beach. There was something that he was missing.

He showered quickly, not quite a Navy shower but almost, reflecting the habits and training that were ingrained in him from an early age. After grabbing a quick breakfast, he was back in his truck and headed to HQ. He thought about that night by the Hilton when he first met Andy, and Julia told him about how she'd lost her husband to cancer. She was so vulnerable in that moment, so small and quiet and trusting. He was used to being the strong one, to being entrusted with great responsibility. But what was it about that moment, something she said? As he navigated his truck through the quiet early-morning roads, he replayed their conversation. The words came back to him as he pictured her in his arms that night. _"This could be dangerous for both of us. There are things that I can't share…" _And now she was talking about being scared. Was she just scared of being hurt and of hurting him, or was there something else?

He pulled up to HQ, uncomfortably unsettled by his thoughts. Shaking his head briefly, he stepped out of the truck and saw Danny pull in next to him in the Camaro.

"I thought you were spending the weekend with Julia." Danny stated, looking at Steve carefully.

"I did. We had a great time," Steve replied a bit brusquely.

"If you spent the weekend with the lovely Miss Bliss, then explain to me why you have aneurysm face. What did you do?"

"What do you mean, what did _I _do?"

"I mean, you spent the weekend with a gorgeous woman who makes you go all weak in the knees, and now you have a face that would scare a grown man. Clearly you did something."

"Danny, why do you assume I screwed something up? Perhaps we had a great weekend, and now I'm thinking about the case and that's what has me concerned."

"Oh, _concerned_? So that's what you're calling it? I know how you get about cases, buddy, and whatever has your panties in a bunch is not related to a case. So I take it she's still speaking to you?"

Steve opened the door to Aliiolani Hale and took a deep breath. "Danny, we had a great weekend, and I know it shocks you, but I didn't screw it up. In fact, you would be pleased to note that Julia and I actually tied on the shooting range yesterday," he said, satisfyingly.

Danny's face paled as they climbed the stairs up to HQ. "Excuse me, wonder boy. You took her to the _shooting range_? What's next, mortar rounds at sunset? Clearly, my friend, we need to have an in-depth discussion on the details of romance and wooing."

"Believe me, Danno, I have no trouble in the romance department," Steve deadpanned. "Now, considering that we have an active case and an agent arriving today from the Secret Service, do you think we could focus on work for once?"

"Hey boss, I just got a hit on something," Kono started as she saw Steve and Danny walk in the door. "The crime lab is still working on the image from the rental car lot, but I got the recordings from a street camera near the parking garage where our perp says he boosted the car. Take a look." Kono typed on the computer table and then flicked an image up on to the screens as Chin came out of his office to join them.

"Okay, stop here," Danny stated, looking at the screen. "That's our perp driving away in the car with the bonds. Remember how Julia mentioned that it was strange for the bonds to be left in the trunk unless perhaps they were…"

"Being left as a drop for something, like weapons or drugs." Steve finished Danny's train of thought. "Kono, roll forward carefully." Kono hit a few keys as they all watched the screen. "Stop there." A white SUV with tinted windows was on the screen, pulling into the garage. "What's that, just 30 minutes after the car was pinched? No image on the driver from this angle. Forward the video just a few minutes, maybe we can get a shot of the driver leaving. There he is. Now zoom in," Steve said, looking intently at the image as Kono cleaned it up digitally.

"I'm running him through facial recognition now," Kono said as she typed on the table. Images flashed on the screen rapidly as the image was compared to millions of possibles in the NCIC. "Here we go – a match." She tossed the image up on to the screen next to the video of the SUV leaving the parking garage. "Peter Koch, a German citizen, no record in the U.S., but Interpol has him listed as a suspected arms dealer with ties to a German separatist group."

"So what would a German arms dealer be doing driving into a parking garage and exiting just a few minutes later, right after a car was boosted with millions in counterfeit bonds?" Chin asked. "Kono, is there an address?"

"No, but the plates on the SUV are registered to an investment company, Budagan Holdings, in Waikiki. I'm texting all of you the address. Hold on, it's my phone." Kono picked up her cell phone and started to type as she listened. Another photo appeared on the screen.

Chin looked at Danny and Steve puzzlingly. "When did Julia see the bonds? Kono took them to the lab right after you brought them in on Friday."

_Oh crap_, Steve thought.

"Hey, that was the Crime Lab. They were able to clean up the face of our mystery man who drove the car off of the rental lot Thursday night." Kono flicked something up on the screen. "Meet Garrett Dorman, a number of priors including grand larceny, oh, and this is interesting…. he also works for Budagan Holdings," Kono said, continuing, "I have an address for him in Honolulu, 2545 Rose Street, Apt. 5C."

"All right, let's go. Chin, you and Kono go visit Budagan and see if you can find information about Mr. Koch and what he was doing in the parking garage Friday morning. Look sharp, and call us as soon as you find anything. Danny, grab your gear and let's go pay Dorman a visit," Steve ordered, relieved to ignore Chin's question for the time being.

Kono nodded and proceeded to wipe the board of data and images as Danny headed into his office. Steve started toward his office when a tall, older blond man in a dark grey suit stepped into the room. _Damn_, Steve thought, _just when we get a lead._ _Feds_.

The man walked purposefully up to Steve and offered his hand. "Commander McGarrett? I'm Special Agent Tony Romano."


	15. Chapter 15

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Not my best chapter, some feedback would help a great deal. Much better scenes to come, I promise!

Steve, Danny, and Special Agent Romano pulled up to Dorman's apartment in Honolulu just a few minutes later, Romano having been fully briefed by Danny during the drive over. Outfitted in tac vests, the three climbed the steps to Dorman's apartment, Danny and Romano taking the north stairwell, with Steve rounding the south side. HPD was arriving as well, and taking positions around the building and in the lobby. After reaching the apartment door, Steve banged on it loudly with his fist, "Garrett Dorman! Open up, this is Five-0." Seconds later, they heard a crash, and Steve kicked the door in as the three quickly scanned the apartment.

"Heading out back!" Danny called. Danny and Steve ran out the back door, chasing Dorman. As Dorman looked back at his pursuers, he turned the corner and fired a round of shots. Steve ducked into a doorway, while Danny dropped behind a large cement planter, and both returned fire. Starting to run after the suspect again, they both heard a large thud. As they carefully came around the corner, they saw Dorman, lying unconscious on the ground as Romano flipped him over, frisked him, and cuffed him. They both noticed the large fire extinguisher on the ground and the blood pouring from Dorman's face, and smiled at the resourceful agent.

Back at HQ a few hours later, they hadn't gotten anywhere with Dorman, but they at least had him dead to rights for grand theft auto, evading, and attempted murder of a police officer. The three were coming out of the Interrogation room as Kono and Chin returned from their unsuccessful fishing expedition at Budagan. Steve slipped into his office to call Julia.

"Hi, Steve. I was wondering how you were today. How are you doing?" Julia's voice was a welcome reprieve from the stress of the morning.

"I'm fine. Tony arrived just in time to help us take down a suspect. We have a few leads, but it's taking some time. How's your day going?"

"Well, it's no day at the shooting range, but not bad, I guess," Julia laughed. "I had fun yesterday. It's been awhile since I really had a day off. I didn't realize it, but I don't think I've gone for a hike in several months. And the picnic on the knoll, it was very thoughtful," she said, wistfully. _I miss you_, she thought. _I miss being with you, and instead of reading dissertation drafts, I've been thinking about you._

"Hey, do you have plans for tonight? I thought we'd take Tony out for dinner, and maybe you'd like to join us, say 7 at Ono? I could pick you up, maybe bring Andy?"

"I have a late meeting tonight, but I'll meet you there. Andy would love to come, but it's a school night for him. How's T-Rex?" Julia chuckled.

"He's fine – he's perched on my credenza next to the printer, keeping watch. Surprisingly, he fits in rather well, except that everyone who comes in my office feels the need to push the button to make him roar."

"I'll give Andy a full report. He'll be very pleased that T-Rex is there and roaring to keep away the baddies. What do you think of Tony?"

"We just met, but he seems like a bright guy. He was filling us in on the original case against Gombar. He doesn't think these are the same forgeries, unless Gombar trained an accomplice he didn't know about."

"I suppose we shouldn't talk about the case, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. At least not with the Service," Julia said, flirtatiously. She could almost hear Steve's blush over the phone.

"Did you grab lunch yet? I know it's late, but I was thinking maybe I'd stop over with some sandwiches, maybe we could grab a picnic on campus."

Julia inwardly groaned. "I'd love to, Steve, but I have a lunch meeting to step into. In fact, I've got to run or I'm going to be late. But I'll see you tonight."

"Julia…I…" Steve stopped himself as he felt himself stumble over his own words. Choosing the safer route, he continued, "I hope you have a good lunch. See you tonight."

"I can't wait." Julia hung up, a little disappointed. _What was he about to say?_


	16. Chapter 16

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Wow, thank you Athene for being my cheerleader! I will go back and rewrite the last chapter one of these days. You're so right - I don't think I gave enough depth to Tony early on. Words to mull on. With that, I think everyone will like this chapter's return of Joe (hmm, one mystery solved) and Jules/Steve-o have a little Stelia moment (or McAbbot?). Hope you all enjoy and please keep comments coming :-)

Julia sat in Ala Moana park eating a sandwich, waiting for him to arrive. As she saw him walk up, she slipped on her Bluetooth earpiece and pretended to answer the phone.

"Checking up on me?" she asked, trying to keep her tone civil and even.

"Just trying to figure out what exactly you're up to, Julia." Joe responded, looking around as he dug into his mixed plate lunch.

"I'm not up to anything. It's called a personal life, and I believe I'm still permitted to have one." Her face was firm and impassive as she kept a rigid control over her words and her emotions.

"You are, but do you think it's wise to pursue a personal life with a Navy SEAL, particularly one as inquisitive as Steve is?" Joe asked, his query irritating Julia further.

"My personal life is just that. _Personal_. I'm not compromised. He finds my former NOC to be credible," she stated flatly, clearly uncomfortable with this entire discussion. "What is it? You have something for me, don't you? Clearly you didn't ask me here to talk about Steve."

"Just a warning from our mutual friends. They aren't as dismissive as you are of Commander McGarrett's desire to figure things out. They think he's going to dig, and they want you out before he does. But I'm not here in an official capacity, Julia. You're getting a new handler now that I'm retired. Peter Scalia will be contacting you shortly."

Julia was disappointed for a moment. As frustrating as she found Joe, she still trusted him and knew he never beat around the bush. "Joe… unofficially. Is this dangerous for Steve?"

"Julia, I've known Steve since he was knee-high. That boy wasn't born with a danger gene. If you can keep him away from this, he'll be fine. You both will. The powers-that-be wouldn't agree with my take on it, but they spend far too much time with analysts and not with folks like you and me."

She sighed, quietly. "I'll miss you, you know." She and Joe had been through quite a bit together, and though she often sniped at him, he'd taken it off the cuff at times. He knew the pressure she was under, how the secrets and the lies often became too much to bear. He wasn't just her handler - he was her confidant, and he helped keep her safe. As good as Scalia was rumored to be, she knew that things could never be the same.

"Hell, I'm not going anywhere. On the plus side, maybe someday we can actually have a real lunch together. Listen, Juju. You know I don't hold back. Never have. Steve is like a son to me, and I care about the boy. You should know... you're good for him in ways you can't imagine. He's been closed off for so long he doesn't even realize it. I'm not sure he knows any different, but he'll come around. He cares for you, Julia, in a way I've never seen him care for anyone."

"Thanks…" she responded, her voice soft. "Goodbye, Joe." Julia stood up and proceeded to throw her wrapper in the trash, and pretend to turn off her earpiece. As she walked back to her office, she thought about her weekend with Steve. He was so romantic, unexpectedly so, but guarded. As Joe had said, he doesn't even realize how closed off he is. She assumed he'd been that way since his mother died and he was sent off to live with family on the mainland, but that was decades ago. He was puzzling. Smiling, she thought of a plan. She glanced at her watch and realized she'd have just enough time if she skipped out on her department's weekly meeting. Determined, she walked briskly back to her office to gather her things.

* * *

Tony Romano was settling into his temporary desk at Five-0 and reviewing the case files on Dorman and Koch while the rest of the team followed up on Budagan Holdings. Kono and Chin were in their offices looking at the financials and corporate data, while Steve was pressuring the Governor to get him a warrant for Koch's home. Danny, in the meantime, was throwing a stress ball against the wall endlessly, driving Romano a bit crazy with his thump-thump-thump, as Danny tried to figure out why two men who worked for the same company would bother taking a small amount of bonds and swapping them in a car in a parking garage. _Why not just carry them to work in a briefcase?_

He was also thinking about Steve and Julia, surprised at how quickly his partner was falling for the girl. Steve was unfocused these days, distracted by more than just a new girlfriend. _ What was it that was bothering him? Was it the fact that she had a kid? _Danny didn't really know much about Steve's love life, nor did he want to– but he was pretty sure he'd never dated a single mom before. He wondered if he'd ever really dated before. Oh sure, there was Catherine, but she was always off at sea or whatever, and they seemed to be more friends with benefits than anything else. Although, Danny had to admit, the benefits there were _pretty_ nice. Idly he wondered if Steve had told Catherine about Julia. He scoffed at the thought of Steve actually considering what a woman wanted from him. He was more of a 'love 'em and leave 'em' type, which meant he was in for a world of pain, because Danny rather doubted that Julia would tolerate being treated that way.

Steve finished talking with the Governor, who promised to get Steve a warrant the next day for Koch's home and office. He'd just hung up the phone when he looked up to see Julia strolling into the office. Smiling, he went out to greet her.

"This is a surprise. I thought you had a lunch meeting?" he said, wanting to kiss her but aware that the entire team was watching them.

"I did. But then I realized you probably didn't have lunch, so I brought you some fish tacos from Diago. I figured it was a better choice than today's mixed plate special from the campus cafeteria," Julia smiled. She glanced over to see Chin and Kono working in Kono's office. Putting her hand softly on his arm, she leaned forward and whispered, "I missed you today."

His eyes flickered briefly, as he responded conspiratorially, "Me too." Stepping back briefly, he invited her into his office to join him.

Julia hesitated briefly, a realization kicking in as she looked again at Kono's office. "Steve, I need to read in Kono and Chin. With Tony here, well… I'd rather they hear it from me. I'll join you in a minute. Would you excuse me?"

Steve headed back to his office with the warm tacos, watching her knock and step into Kono's office. Reading someone in was something he rarely had the luxury to do when he was a SEAL. More often, he could tell someone that he was Navy, possibly even a SEAL, but nothing beyond that. He supposed that's why he never got too involved with anyone – it was difficult to leave in the middle of the night anyway, but having someone to leave behind made it harder. Still, that wasn't his life anymore. He didn't slip off unexpected into dangerous situations for weeks or months at a time. There wasn't really any reason why he couldn't get involved with someone now, right?

He saw Julia talking as Kono sat down behind her desk. It would be easier now – no uncomfortable questions from Chin, and Julia could trust them. Plus, she was right, with Tony here, it would become obvious very soon that she was more than just a professor.

Kono and Chin stood and hugged her, as Julia left Kono's office with a smile on her face. Tony was still on the phone, his face lighting up when he saw her. Quickly he hung up and strolled over to spin Julia in a big wide hug. Steve stepped out of his office, surprised and a little jealous at the effusive greeting between old friends.

"Beanie! What are you doing here? It's great to see you. I heard you were on the island now, but I thought you were at the University?" he exclaimed, putting her down as he looked at her carefully.

"Tone, it's great to see you. I see you're all settled? Didn't Wilson give you the heads-up? Uh, I did some consulting here last week and stopped by to say hi to everyone and to see you." She didn't want to tell him about Steve just yet. She wasn't sure she would.

"Gosh, it's been forever since I've seen you. You look great! Island life is obviously agreeing with you," he looked at her, admiringly. "How's Andy?"

"He's terrific – almost four now, hard to believe. He keeps me on my toes. And Kate and the girls?"

Tony's face fell. "We separated last year. You know how these things go. It's hard to keep a marriage in the Service," he shrugged.

"Tony, I'm so sorry to hear that. It's not easy, I know. Hey, I need to talk to Steve briefly, then maybe we can grab some coffee and catch up? I've been invited to dinner tonight, so I'll see you then as well," she smiled.

"I'm swamped with the case right now – let's grab lunch later this week, okay? Same cell number?"

"You know me well. See you soon, Tone," she reached over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, as Steve watched very carefully. Julia stepped into his office and he closed the door.

"Beanie?" he said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Julia flushed slightly. "Nickname from my Secret Service days. When I went through training, my colleagues and I all had nicknames. Mine was Juju. When I joined Tony's team, Juju became Juju Bean, and eventually Beanie. What can I say – it's embarrassing and silly but when you work together around the clock, you learn to just roll with things. I was one of few women on a team of macho men. I couldn't exactly get annoyed about names and little things."

"And you and Tony, was that one of the little things?" Steve asked, almost interrogating her.

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice lowered. "Are you jealous?"

"No, it just seems like you two are more than old colleagues," he said flatly, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against his desk.

Julia looked at his response and almost laughed out loud. For a guy who was trained to conceal his feelings, he was doing a pretty piss-poor job of it. "I won't go into the fact that I was engaged when I joined the Service, or the fact that he was married until a year ago. I'm not even going to discuss my standing rule that I never bring my sex life into the office. The Service is a brotherhood, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. I have the highest esteem for the men and women I worked with, especially Tony. He is a good man, and a good friend," she said intently, her eyes focused entirely on his.

He shifted uncomfortably, the realization of what he just accused her of fully sinking in. "I see," he said.

"Besides," she said softly, placing her index finger on the neck of his polo shirt and softly running it down the open buttons to the top of his chest. "I'm a one-guy kind of woman. It's not at all my style."

Steve caught his breath briefly. "And what is your style?" he said, his blue eyes boring into hers.

"Hmm, well, I was thinking that perhaps I could show you when I cook you your dinner? Friday night, perhaps? You'll have to let me know exactly…" she paused, stepping up closely to him. "What you…" she breathed as she ran her finger along the edge of his jaw. "Want." Her voice was a hot, wet, whisper in his ear that made his whole body tremor.

He tugged at her waist, pulling her unexpectedly in to his arms. "I know exactly what I want, Julia." He bent to nibble softly at her ear as he whispered, "And I have every intention of getting it."


	17. Chapter 17

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Note: Updated to fix an error and reword a few minor things, thanks to Cokie316's watchful eye! Thank you for your continued support and reviews! They keep me going. Sorry for the brief (holiday) break - swamped with my real life work but still writing - and still seeking a beta for my next story. Loved the reviews - gotta shout out to my muse inspiration Athene. Glad you're clicking with Julia & Steve's unique dynamic! I see Steve as being a bit adolescent at times but ultimately, he's fond of his girl, as much as he is afraid to admit it. Jules, well, she's a tough nut to crack. She's spent a lifetime building a careful facade and the big question is, will she be able to keep it up with Steve? He is awfully good at finding out the truth. What you see with her isn't all that you get - but isn't that true of Steve as well? THANK YOU for reading & supporting the stories - another chapter coming after my big deadline on Tues!

"Steve. Hey Romeo!" Danny called to Steve, waving his hand in front of his face to no effect. As was typical, Steve had plowed through his dinner like a machine, another habit from his tenure in the Navy. He glanced at his watch – it was nearly eight, and still Julia had not showed.

"So Tony, how do you like Hawaii?" Kono asked, shooting a glance at Steve who seemed to be on another planet.

"It's beautiful here. I've been before. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we seem to get a lot of business on the islands. Since our field office here is really limited, whenever there's anything forgery related, I usually get to come out." Tony smiled at the team, seemingly open and yet guarded.

Danny looked at him suspiciously, although to be fair, Danny looked at almost everyone suspiciously. He knew Steve was jealous of Tony's friendship with Julia, but Steve was always a pretty possessive guy. That wasn't it. There was something with Tony that just wasn't falling quite into place. Maybe it was the naturally secretive nature of Secret Service agents, but that didn't seem to be it either. There was something about this case as well. He couldn't get past the fact that the two "co-workers" went to such extremes to swap some bonds. Why not just bring them in to the office, or swap in person? It didn't make sense, and things that didn't make sense usually weren't true.

Steve sighed and pushed back from the table to head outside without so much as an explanation to his team. _Where was she? She should be here, she said she'd come. It was late, and how often did University meetings go on until 8? _ He walked over to the door and stepped out into the cool night air on the deck. Danny came up behind him.

"She's coming. Give her a little time."

Steve looked at Danny, surprised. "I'm just getting some air."

Danny scoffed. "Yeah, right. That's just why you've been in a total no-man's land all night. You barely heard Kono's update on the case."

"I heard it. We've got a pile of cash at Dorman's apartment along with a stash of weapons, and we have no idea where he got the bonds, assuming he's the one who put them in the car. I'm fine, Danno."

"You haven't been fine since the day we walked into Dr. Kildare's office last week. What's with you? One minute you're grinning like a shark, the other you're pacing and looking like you're going to hurt a small child. Tell me. You know I'll find out anyway." Danny could be relentless.

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. She drives me nuts. She's just…"

"Falling in love with you."

Steve recoiled sharply, glaring at Danny. "What? No, not at all. She's worried about something, and I don't understand what. It's got to be me. I make things too complicated. She'd be safer if I just backed away."

"Whoa, wait a second. Yeah, I'm sure that would make her safe and happy – your leaving. Are you an idiot? Is this the first time you've been in love?" Danny's voice was incredulous.

"Don't push it, Danno." Steve's voice was low and warning. He thought for a moment. "I'm not in love. And even if I were, it's not my first time. I've had girlfriends before. This is different, but's not love," Steve said defensively.

"Oh, silly me. Because I see Mr. Big-Bad-SEAL all up in arms over a little tiny accounting professor, waiting outside for her to arrive, and I think he might just be crazy about her. And just maybe, he's so messed up because he doesn't know what to think, where to go, or which end is up, because every breath he takes when she's away hurts. But then again, what the hell do I know? I've just fucked up my life royally because the love of my life keeps going back to the total loser she married after I lost her." Danny spoke from the heart, but his bitterness crept through. As much as he still loved Rachel, he hated her too for what she was doing to him and to Grace by sticking with Stan.

"Danno, I'm sorry, man. But Julia and me… it's just, it's too soon. We just met. She's a beautiful woman, and I'm attracted to her. That's all it is."

"You're attracted to her, and that's all it is. Okay. So you've done the beast of two backs with her then? The nasty-nasty?" Danny teased. Steve ignored him, shoving his hands into his cargo pants. "Face it, Mando Steve, you're in love with her, you haven't slept with her, and the fact that you're dying to sleep with her is driving you up a wall."

Steve tried to ignore him, when suddenly he caught a flash of a chestnut-haired beauty stepping out of a black convertible and his breath caught. Julia strolled toward him wearing a snug pair of Seven jeans, a grey scooped t-shirt, and a cropped black vest, her hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. She smiled when she saw Steve, ignoring Danny for a moment. "Hi." Her voice was soft and velvety, thick with need.

Danny felt the obvious tension between the two of them and rather than make a snarky comment, turned to head back to the table. He hadn't witnessed steamy energy like that in a very long time. _Deny it all you want, Steve-o, but you're smitten with the girl. _And with the way she looked tonight, it was pretty obvious why.

Steve cupped Julia's face and kissed her softly. "Hi yourself. Meeting run late?"

Julia tried to slow her breath. What was it about Steve that made her lose all sense of reason and control? "Yeah, something like that. Everyone still here?" She tried to cover up her evasion with a breezy smile, but she got the sense he could see right through her. _Damn_.

Steve stepped back briefly, looking at her curiously. "Yeah, they are. We caught a break in the case – we've got the guy in custody whom we traced the car to. We're checking his known associates, and we should have something in the morning. Tony's been working on the bonds, but he's convinced they couldn't be Gombars."

"Steve, we talked about this. I'm not on the case, you shouldn't be updating me. I'm happy that you're making progress, but you could get yourself into a world of trouble. Wilson made it clear, I'm out. Besides, I was hoping that maybe you missed me a little?" She rubbed his muscular arm softly, her eyes a beguiling mix of sweetness and need.

Steve looked at her, his desire surging through his body. He wanted her more than anything, he wanted to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her everywhere. Hell yeah, he missed her. He missed her so much that he wanted to take her right here and now. Slip away in his truck to the beach, take out the blanket he kept in the back, and make love to her out in the moonlight. He felt his body respond as his mind went into overdrive with the possibilities of what he could do to her. _Dial it back, man. _He tried to pull back, to rein in his emotions and his arousal, but it was futile. His face was stoic, but the mess of emotions behind it was raging.

The expression on Steve's face puzzled Julia. He seemed distant tonight, and she couldn't figure out why as he took her by the hand and led her into the restaurant. After a round of hugs and greetings, she ordered a chocolate torte and a glass of vintage port. It had been a long and exhausting day, one of those days when she struggled just to find some semblance of balance between her work, her son, and a tiny piece of a personal life. As happy as she was to be with Steve, she was worried about what was happening between them, particularly in light of Joe's warnings. Still, she felt that her time with Steve was one of the few sane parts of her life right now, and for whatever reason, she felt pulled toward him in a way she'd never felt before. She'd be damned if she was going to let anyone tear them apart.

Steve still seemed distracted as he rested his arm around her shoulder while his other hand held hers under the table. She took a few bites of her cake and a sip of the port, then rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly unbearably tired. He felt her body sink into his, and as he looked down at her face, he chastened himself at his earlier impatience. She was worn out, and yet here she'd come to see him, to be with him and his friends. He softly brushed his lips on the top of her head and then gently nuzzled her silky hair with his cheek.

Chin keenly noticed as Julia sank exhaustedly into Steve's arms. He glanced to catch Steve's eye and nodded slowly. Steve whispered something to Julia, who smiled briefly and rose to her feet, a bit unsteady at first from exhaustion. Steve's hand never left her waist as they said goodbye and he walked her out to the parking lot. Chin got into Steve's truck to follow the two to her house as Steve drove Julia in her Mazda.

Once again, they were at her front door, and she couldn't invite him in. She was equally as frustrated, but more than anything at the moment she was tired and weary. "This feels like a broken record, Steve. One of these nights I'll invite you in, soon I hope." Her voice was soft and tender.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closely to him. "Don't rush on my account. You asked for time, and you should take all of the time you need. I'm worried about you, baby." He stroked her cheek, noticing the deep circles under her eyes. "When did you last sleep?"

She shook her head. "You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine. It's just been busy at work, and I've got a lot on my plate. But this time with you, even when it's short, makes it all worthwhile. Are we still on for Friday?" Her eyes were hopeful, almost pleading.

"For my dinner that I won." He teased, his thumb gently on her chin.

"No, for your dinner that you _tied_ for. Keep it up, sailor boy, and we'll have a rematch. And next time, I'll test the rifle's sights before I settle down to shoot, and you know I won't miss. Besides, I hope you're planning our sailing trip, 'cause I plan on cashing that one in soon." She poked his chest playfully, trying to distract herself from the powerful desire coursing through her body.

"Do you have plans tomorrow? We could grill out at my place with Andy," he offered.

A half-smile crept across her face. How was she lucky enough to meet a great guy like Steve who also welcomed her four year old son? "Sounds like fun. Count us in. I'll bring my famous coconut rice salad." She paused, kissing him softly on his cheek. As much as she wanted him to kiss her hard and deep, she knew she didn't have the strength to keep herself at bay tonight. "I have to go," she said unconvincingly.

He stepped back, his body still attuned to hers and frustrated at his actions, or more correctly, his inactions. It was going to be another long and lonely night. "Goodnight," he said quietly.


	18. Chapter 18

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Welcome back, Cokie316! We've missed your comments and feedback. Thank you also to all who took the time to reviews. Reviews boost followings, but much more than that, they help me to understand what you like (and don't). Based on recent feedback I've been tweaking the story and hope you enjoy! Please keep those comments coming - I read every one!

"Look sharp everyone." Steve's voice was firm and clear. This was his element, taking down suspects and charging into buildings, and he reveled in it. "Our suspect is Greta Weisz, a known associate of Dorman's. She was picked up on weapons charges a few years back, served a year stateside, and has been clean ever since, although Interpol has photographs of her with Koch. She may be our link to our counterfeit ring. We need her alive." Steve was in his tac mode, wearing his vest, his backup weapon strapped to his thigh, and his earpiece in place. The team was geared up, with Tony in Kono's place since her arm was still healing from her gunshot wound. Steve and Tony took the front door, while Danny and Chin covered the back. SWAT was also on site, holding the perimeter of the house.

They burst in, securing the house in a matter of minutes, but it had been empty for at least a few days. _Damn, another dead end_. "Chin, I want you and CSU to process the house. Top to bottom. Maybe Weisz or Koch left something behind. Danny, get an APB out on Weisz and Koch. We may not have enough to arrest them, but we can bring them in for questioning. I'll call Kono and see how she's making out with Weisz's financials." Steve ran through the possibilities in his mind, but there was something about this case that was not coming together.

Back at the office, the search of Weisz's apartment hadn't turned up anything, and Romano was having no success in finding clues in the counterfeit bonds. The Feds had had a set of the bonds for days now, with no leads. The case was becoming cold, and Steve was wondering if Koch and his merry band of counterfeiters had moved on, perhaps overseas or to the mainland, although there was no indication from ICE or TSA that Koch or Weisz had left the islands. Dorman had lawyered up, although they had enough to at least put him away for quite awhile. There had to be something, some sort of break. Why couldn't the Feds at least give them a source on the paper, or the ink? He rubbed his forehead in frustration as he stepped out into the bullpen to pour himself another cup of coffee.

Romano sat at the table, working on something on his laptop. He seemed a nice enough guy, Steve thought, but so far he wasn't impressed with his abilities to get things done, and he'd had little to add to the case. If Julia were here… but she wasn't. This was outside of her expertise, and she'd been expressly forbidden to help out. He didn't understand why she cared what the Service said when she no longer worked for them, but for whatever reason she was cautiously steering clear from the case. He saw Danny working at his desk and knocked on his door before walking in.

Danny looked up from his laptop as Steve shut the door. "You look about as frustrated as I feel."

"So it's not just me. There's something about this case that is bothering me, and I just can't figure it out." Steve rubbed his brow.

"Maybe it's the fact that every lead we hit is a dead-end or that the baddies seem to be one step ahead of us each time. Anything from Romano on the paper or the ink used in the counterfeits?" Danny asked.

Steve shook his head. "He's seems to be helpful, but he's gotten nowhere. Do you get the feeling… nah, nevermind."

Danny looked at Steve carefully before lowering his voice. "You mean the feeling that he's stalling us for some reason?"

Steve exhaled. "So it's not just me. I don't know if it's because the Feds want the glory for themselves, or… I just don't know." He crossed his arms as he stood firmly by the end of Danny's desk.

"This case has been hinky from the start. Maybe we need to go about this a different way. Have you talked to Julia? Maybe she has some backchannels she can use."

"She wants nothing to do with the case. For whatever reason, Tony's supervisor at the Service, a guy named Wilson, has her staying far away from the case. I don't get it." The more Steve thought about it, the more frustrated he became. "She no longer works for them. I don't understand why she cares what they think. I'm going to head over to the University to talk with her and see if she can free up this log jam. Did Kono find anything on the financials?"

"There was nothing there. Koch and Weisz were clean, too clean. But I don't think you have to go to the University to get some answers, boss man." Danny nodded toward the bullpen, a wry grin on his face. Steve followed his glance to see Julia smiling at them as she walked up to Danny's door.

Steve opened the door in surprise. "Hey, this is unexpected. I thought we were having dinner tonight?"

He glanced over her, dressed to the nines in a fitted dove grey sheath dress that hugged her curves in all of the right places and black platform pumps that made her almost tall enough to reach Steve's shoulders. Her makeup was flawless, and her hair was pulled up into an elegant updo. He realized he'd been holding his breath, and slowly let it release. She had a professional look on her face which he'd rarely seen before, except perhaps when they'd met the Governor at the University dinner the other night. Usually he was able to pick up on her mood just by looking at her – whether she was tired, impassioned, frustrated, excited, or just happy. But now, for whatever reason, it was like she was wearing a veil that he couldn't break through.

"Hi Danny. Steve, do you have a moment?" Julia's voice was as professional as her appearance.

They walked into Steve's office, his hand naturally resting on the small of her back. She sat on the couch by the window, crossing her legs and giving him an unintended glimpse of her long, lean legs. She drank in the sight of Steve, his muscular build and handsome face, the goofy half-grin that he often saved for her pricking at the corners of his mouth. He leaned against his desk, his arms crossed as they often were, his legs stretched out in front of him.

"I was going to stop by to see you this afternoon. Have you had lunch?" Steve asked, concerned that he couldn't read her emotions. He was exceptionally talented at picking up on the slightest elements of body language, but right now Julia was entirely closed off, which confused him further.

"No, but I can't stay. Steve, I have to cancel on dinner. I'm sorry, but something's come up. I have to head out to a conference in Amsterdam tonight. I've been asked to fill-in last minute for a panel member at the IFRS meeting. It's terribly dull – not nearly as fun as our dinner would have been - but I have to be there. I was really looking forward to tonight."

Steve exhaled sharply. This was unexpected. Since when did accounting professors have to run off to Europe at the jump of a hat? He wondered privately if something else, something personal that was going on, but he dismissed his worries as unnecessary paranoia. "It's okay. I'm used to my having to cancel plans at the last minute. This is a new one for me, but I'll get used to it. When do you get back?"

She smiled briefly, the tiredness creeping into her face for just a moment before he saw her push it back behind the professional mask. "Hopefully Friday. I'm hoping we can still have our dinner Friday night, but you'll have to text me what you'd like to have for dinner." She paused for a moment and tilted her head as she remembered something. "You said you were going to stop by to see me? Is everything okay?"

He sighed. "No, it's not. We keep running into dead ends." She started to protest but he raised his hand briefly to stop her. "I know you don't want to get involved, and that Wilson told you to stay away. I'm not sure I understand why you care what Wilson thinks about you or why you follow his commands, but be that as it may, I need to ask you for a favor. I wouldn't ask if we weren't at the end of our rope." He looked at her firmly, his anxiety about the case and confusion about Julia's unexpected departure increasing his intensity.

She could sense his frustration in every element of his body. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but she had to be very careful here. She was supposed to be keeping a low profile, and her help on the last case had clearly concerned some of the powers-that-be. Yet this was a high-risk case for everyone involved, and for whatever reason, the team wasn't making any headway. She sighed quietly. "No promises, and you can't say anything about my helping, but what's going on?"

He filled her in on what they'd found, and the roadblocks they'd hit at every step. Julia kept her surprise at the lack of progress on the actual counterfeit bonds to herself, but really, Tony should have been able to trace the paper and the ink by now, and the Federal Crime Lab should have had results. What little she'd seen of Tony yesterday and last night she'd noticed that he seemed off – distracted, maybe. Still, the Tony she'd known had always been a professional, and she'd thought that with the case in his hands, she could safely stay away.

Julia stood and looked out the window, trying to gather her thoughts about her. She needed to focus on her trip, on the critical job ahead of her but yet she understood Steve's frustration and was frustrated herself. It had seemed odd to her that Tony had backed Wilson's assumption that the bonds weren't Gombars, and while Julia wasn't an expert in this field, she knew what she'd seen, and she had no doubt that there was an error somewhere. _That was probably it_, she thought. The lab was finding that they were closely related to Gombar's work, but Wilson was probably holding the report – all because of her early involvement. Inwardly she cursed at her hasty (and flirty) initial response when Steve had brought her the bonds that day

She turned to face Steve. "Steve, I really can't interfere. It was probably my involvement from the beginning that is delaying everything. They're probably double and triple checking the work at Quantico because of my early assertion that these were related to Gombar's work. If I get involved now, I could undermine your entire investigation."

"Julia, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could help. But we're at an impasse, and I suspect you know a few workarounds." His voice was firm, his frustration growing. Why wouldn't she just help them?

She glanced at her watch, shaking her head. "I can't do this now. I have to go. Tony will come through. He's a good agent."

"Julia." Steve was finding himself becoming angry with her, though he didn't know why. He forced himself to cool down. Quietly, he started. "I need something, anything. You have contacts at the Crime Lab. Can you at least find out what the delay is?"

"I can't," she said, bluntly. "Steve, be careful. Don't make waves on this, okay? This isn't something you want to go barreling into full-blast. I hope you know… I'd help you if I could." She picked up her briefcase and headed to the door. Briefly, she stopped, and turned to look at Steve. She felt conflicted, unsure of what to do, but above all, she knew she had to go for now. Impetuously, she quickly walked back toward him and dropped her bag, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she breathed in his scent and nuzzled his firm, warm chest. "I'll miss you," she whispered tightly, not wanting to leave.

Steve was surprised by the ardor of her embrace. He held her closely, his hand stroking her hair as he felt her warm breath on his chest. Pausing, he gently pulled her back and lifted her chin up toward him. _God, I could get lost in those endless hazel eyes. But why does she seem sad? _He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and kissed her softly at first, and then more insistently as their emotions crept to the surface unbidden. Her lips were silken, her tongue inviting. His mouth covered hers, his hand gently holding her head while she pressed her body up against his.

Quietly, he moaned into her mouth while she twisted her fingers in his deliciously thick hair. She forced herself to step back, dropping her eyes while she recovered from her riotous emotions. She exhaled softly and somehow found her voice again. "Be safe, Steve. I'll contact you when I can." And with that, she picked up her briefcase again and walked out the door without looking back.


	19. Chapter 19

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the comments - yes, some serious sneakiness going on. But ultimately you can trust that Julia really is one of the good guys (no conspiracy theories here). Guest - Kono was shot in the first story, Justified - which if you haven't read, I highly recommend although I will admit I am biased. It has one of my favorite scenes, when Steve helps Julia in her office. Yum. To everyone, this is a short one but I wanted to get it out there. Cokie316 & Francis - love the comments, and you're spot on. Please keep the comments coming - they mean so much to me!

"Damn it, there has to be something!" Steve shouted in frustration in Kono's office late Wednesday night. Julia had probably arrived in Amsterdam by now, and was… what, twelve hours ahead or so. She'd be having breakfast right about now, he supposed. He wished he was having breakfast with her, waking up with her next to him. He tried to put the thought out of his mind and focus on this bear of a case. He was missing something, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hey boss, we've done what we can. I've run everything I can think of, and there's nothing in their financials, their work history, or their travel that indicates where they could have gotten the bonds, or why they were working with Dorman." Kono was frustrated as well. Tensions were high among the whole team, and not just because of the case. Steve had been on edge since Julia had left, and when Steve was on edge, they all were affected.

Steve's phone made the sound of an incoming text. He glanced at it, surprised to see an encrypted text from Julia. Walking out of Kono's office, he read the text.

_Only paper used for legitimate bonds is from Cramen Paper in Maine. Theft of 10,000 sheets of bond paper six months ago never recovered. Courier on theft was a CI, delivered the paper to 259 Mamala Bay. Watch your back and remember what I said yesterday. Delete, don't acknowledge. _

Steve reread the text, astonished. Not only was she giving him a lead that the Secret Service had a confidential informant on the inside, but she was warning him of something – a leak? What was it she'd said to him before she left? _Be careful. Don't make waves on this, okay? This isn't something you want to go barreling into full-blast. I hope you know… I'd help you if I could._ It was as if he could hear her words to him, as if he could feel her in his arms just before she'd turned to leave.

He gestured to Danny, suddenly feeling paranoid again. They walked into Danny's office where Steve showed him his phone, quietly closing the door behind them.

"What the hell?" Danny was pissed. "A leak? How the hell could we have a leak?"

"I don't know – maybe within HPD or the Service. But the only reason she'd have warned me to watch my back was if she felt there was someone who couldn't be trusted. You should have seen her before she left. I've never seen her so cryptic and closed off. She must have gotten wind of something." Steve shook his head in frustration. "We've got to check out this warehouse quietly, just the team. Go tell Chin and Kono. We can't trust anyone outside of Five-O right now, including Tony." Steve was angry at the potential of a leak.

Danny thought about his previous reservations. "What about Julia? Can we trust her? Can you be objective about her?"

Steve sighed. "It's a moot point. She's in Europe right now. Go and take care of this. Just say we're heading home, or something to that effect. Then have Chin wipe Julia's text from the cell phone servers. Meet up at the warehouse at twenty-one hundred hours in full tactical gear. No one – I repeat no one – gets wind of this. Not HPD, not the Secret Service, no one."

Steve sat down in one of the chairs in Danny's office, trying to understand what was going on with Julia. How did she know about the bond paper? Why didn't the lab notify Five-O? What did Tony know? Her text may have given them a clue, but it opened up far more questions than it answered. Why did she send him the text after she'd arrived in Amsterdam? Maybe she made a call to Quantico after her arrival… in the middle of the night? He ran his fingers through his hair as he pondered the possibilities. Danny was right. He'd been off of his game ever since he met Julia. He was so distracted by her, he wondered it he'd missed signals. Problem was, he'd also never been happier. She had a way of making him feel… human. It was as if the hard, rigid exterior he'd perfected over the past several years ceased to exist with her. She could see right through him, and she didn't care what he'd done in the past or if he still had rough edges. He sensed that she had a similar background, somehow. Maybe it was losing her mother and her husband, maybe it was just the result of working in a difficult field, but she too had a hardened outer shell that he'd witnessed in full-force the other day.

Either way, he had to get his head in the game now. His team and their lives depended on it, and like it or not, Julia was somewhere on the other side of the world. She had come through for him again, at possibly great personal cost. That meant more to him than she could ever know.


	20. Chapter 20

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Feedback! Oh, readers, you make me so happy! Thank you! Duffster & stevefan, I'm so glad you found it suspenseful (and curious!). Francis2, my bud, glad you're still getting a good vibe from our gal Jules – she's not a bad sort, and she really does care for Steve. Athene – thanks for pointing out my oops in ch 17 – will post a fix. Ah, the challenge of writing for FanFic – I like pushing limits but must be careful of the fanfic police so I promise I will write with steam and imagination I too found it interesting as I wrote that Steve almost tries to ignore the signs, yet he also tries to ignore his feelings. I rather know someone like him who is very black and white, and tolerates little in the middle. Fun themes to explore. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Thanks again!

They'd cased out the address Julia had sent them, and found a seemingly abandoned warehouse in the middle of a rough neighborhood. Danny and Steve were doing exterior recon, while Chin and Kono were in a truck, setting up surveillance. They noticed a series of closed-circuit cameras as well as sensors on the blacked-out windows. Quickly they returned to the truck to lay out their plan.

"Infared shows eight bodies in the warehouse, four on a regular patrol which must be security. There was some sort of jamming that is interfering with the audio monitoring," Chin stated.

"Based on what we know, we have probable cause to go in. Chin, you and I will take point. Danny, Kono – I want you on backup." Steve cocked his weapon, his face set into his hard SEAL stare. "Kono, your arm. Are you okay to go?"

Kono nodded. "Absolutely, boss. Danny and I will have your backs."

With the team's gas masks firmly in place, Steve kicked in the door and tossed in several cans of CS gas as well as a few flash grenades. The team quickly slipped in, taking defensive positions as two of the security guards returned fire before being shot and killed in return. They quickly subdued and cuffed the remaining suspects including Koch and Weisz, and called for backup.

"Danny, Steve!" Kono called as Chin cuffed the last of the suspects. She lifted a sheet of paper from the stack. "I found our bond paper."

Steve jogged over. Next to Kono was an unusual custom machine. Carefully, they opened it to find empty spots where the engraving plates would go. "The plates are missing. Search everywhere. Kono, call CSU and get them over here right away."

Danny and Steve walked back out to the cars, leaving Kono and Chin to watch over the suspects. "We're going to take a lot of shit for this. No backup, keeping out the Secret Service, not telling Romano," Danny commented.

Steve tossed his mask in the back of his truck. "Hell yeah, but when have we not taken shit? I'll call Romano and fill him in. Where the hell are the plates? Once again, someone seems to be a step ahead of us. No one can know about the tip we got, or that we even got one. Our story is we found something in Weisz's house that tipped us off, a partial address. Until we know more about what's going on, I can't risk anyone on the team getting hurt."

Danny looked at him knowingly. "You mean you can't risk Julia getting hurt. The blowback would be on her, not us."

Steve shot an angry look at Danny. "She risked a hell of a lot in sending us that tip. I don't know where she got it, and I don't want to know. As far as we are concerned, she's our CI and deserves anonymity and our protection."

Danny raised in hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, don't shoot the messenger. If you ask me, it's good to see that you're finally coming to your senses about her."

"My senses? Danny, she's a woman I like spending time with. I told you before, there's nothing more to it." Steve didn't like where the conversation was going.

"Fine, Steve. Just answer me this. Would she have risked all that she did to help us if she didn't have feelings for you? Because the woman I saw standing outside my office door the other day was working pretty hard to stay detached and professional. And someone that professional would know what a huge risk it is to pass along information from a CI."

"There's something there, something else she's not telling me. Like how does she have a CI? She's a civilian, right? And just as all of this is going down, she had to go to Amsterdam for a conference? I checked her meeting out, it's legit. Of course it is," he muttered. "But there's something she's not telling me. I don't understand what's going on with her."

"Does it matter? Really? You have things you haven't told her, hell, you have things you've never told me. Maybe she can't tell you. Maybe she has her reasons. I don't know why I'm defending her except that you need to get your head out of your ass. You and Julia are the only two people in this world who don't see that you have feelings for each other. Why you're trying to deny it is beyond me. Just give in to it already. Trust me, we'd all be grateful. We never talk about this, about why you haven't had a real relationship…"

"Watch it, Danno. I've had relationships. Cath and I have been … well, we were with each other for almost three years."

"And you see her for what, maybe a week at a time? Two weeks? Do you love her? Because I don't see you swooning and getting all mushy-eyed for Lieutenant Rollins, yet Julia seems to have you up and all twisted around in circles. Call it what you want, but if you've never been open with a woman, if you've never shared with her your dirty laundry, or been truly vulnerable with her, then you've never really been in love. I get that being a hotshot SEAL isn't overly conducive to having a girlfriend, but isn't there some part of you that thinks that being in love might not be such a terrible thing?"

"We're not having this conversation. Not now, not ever." Steve said firmly as he slammed the lid on his gear box and latched it closed.

Danny realized that once again he'd pushed Steve too far. Hell, he tried, and he'd try again, because no matter what, Steve was his best friend, and he deserved to have a little happiness in his life. Steve might be an ass right now, but sooner or later he'd have to give in. He'd have to admit that he was in love with Julia.


	21. Chapter 21

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Love the comments and feedback - thank you! The story is written but I modify it all of the time, and your comments help me to see what needs shaping, reworking, or is already working! Duffster - love that you're associating with Steve. I think he's kind of an everyman even tho he is "superSEAL" - he sees what he wants to see, and his view is so colored by his experiences. That's what I love about Danno and Chin to a certain extent - they're good enough friends to call him on his crap. Ignoring emotions doesn't make them go away - and ignoring his instincts about Julia doesn't either. SO glad you love Juju - she's coming back very soon! Athene, my cheer! Thank you, and I guarantee you will be surprised by Tony's response. Steverfan, glad I got a Danno smile from you! And continued thank you to Cokie316 who did many of the edits on this story way back when and has agreed to beta my next story! Please keep the comments coming - love them and I read every one. And at last, a chapter many of you have been waiting for. It was a joy for me to write :-)

Chin walked up to Steve's office door Friday night. It had been a long week, with Steve getting called into the Governor's office on Thursday to explain why Five-O had left the Secret Service out of the loop when they'd raided Koch's warehouse. The fallout had been significant, though Steve had managed to protect Julia's anonymity. Tony Romano had been furious when the news came out, storming into Steve's office after he'd gotten back and shouting a few choice words. The engraving plates were missing, and there were no signs as to where they might be. It was getting late, and Steve was still working in his office on the endless paperwork that awaited them after a raid. Chin knocked on Steve's door.

"Hey boss, I'm heading out. It's late. Danny and Kono already left. Isn't Julia back tonight?"

Steve pushed back from his desk and sighed quietly. "I don't know. She was supposed to fly back today but I didn't hear from her, so I guess she's not coming back until tomorrow." He looked down at the piles of paperwork in front of him.

Chin smiled inwardly but kept his face neutral. "Maybe you should head home. Polish up the place before she gets back. You'd be surprised how much a woman appreciates a clean house, flowers, that sort of thing. Malia would rather I do the dishes than take her out to dinner sometimes. She's an old-school romantic. Speaking of which, her shift ends in forty minutes. I've got to get going to have everything ready for when she gets home. Have a good weekend."

Steve nodded and said goodnight. Maybe he should head back to the house, although spending a Friday night alone when they'd had plans for dinner wasn't overly tempting. Still, he could clean up the house a bit, give it some spit and polish as a surprise for Julia, especially if they could reschedule their dinner for Saturday night. He swept up the papers into a few files and filed them neatly away before straightening out the items on his desk. As he touched the bronze fish that had been his dad's, he recalled the first time Julia had been in his office and she'd asked him about it. He remembered the electricity between them even then, how they'd connected almost instantly. It gave him pause, and even now, with the benefit of a some distance, he realized that he had an emotional attachment to her that far exceeded anything he'd ever felt for a woman. Maybe Danny was right. It wasn't love that he was feeling, that was impossible. But these past few days without her had made him realize that he didn't feel right when he was apart from her. As vulnerable as that made him feel, a part of him didn't care. He just wanted to be with her, no matter what it took.

He pulled into his driveway a short time later, surprised to see lights on inside. Mary was still on the mainland, it couldn't be her. Maybe Danny? He still had a key and sometimes would crash at Steve's for the weekend. Still, he carefully approached the front door, his gun drawn, his grip tight around the weapon. He quietly eased open the door.

Soft strains of music were playing in the background and the room was set with white candles here and there. He sniffed and smelled something amazing from the kitchen. Julia stepped into the living room, wearing a simple but elegant sleeveless white cowl-neck dress with two glasses of wine in her hand. "You can put the gun away, Steve. I promise I'm unarmed," she grinned.

He put the safety on his gun and placed it on the coffee table along with his phone. "When did you get back? How did you get here, do all of this?"

Julia handed him his wine and kissed him softly. "I promised you dinner on Friday. Today's Friday, isn't it? As for how, I had an accomplice. Well, three to be exact. Danny met me at the airport and let me in to your house. Kono picked up the groceries and had them ready, and Chin kept you at the office and then shoved you out the door at the appropriate time. Apparently he didn't shove you out the door, just hinted cleverly that you should go home. You have wonderful friends, you know." She clinked his glass and took a sip of her wine.

Steve took their glasses and put them on the coffee table. "I missed you," he admitted reluctantly, more to himself than to her. He lifted her chin up toward him, brushing his lips to hers tenderly. Her lips parted as an invitation, as her hands grasped his strong shoulders to pull him closer. He wrapped his arms around her back, feeling her body warm beneath her dress as her passion began to build with his. He kissed her with ardor, with unmet need, with a host of confusing emotions that he couldn't name or begin to understand. But this, this moment, with Julia in his arms, his mouth taking hers, their bodies pressed against each other, their desire building with every minute – this physical connection with her - it clicked for him. This is what he needed, what he craved.

She leaned back slowly, breaking off their kiss with care and understanding. She stroked his cheek. "We have all night, Steve. But right now, we have dinner. Come." She offered him her hand as she picked up their glasses and led him into the dining room. She'd found and pressed his mother's best linens and set the table with his parents' china and silver which hadn't been used in years. Even the crystal glasses sparkled under the light of the long white tapers set around the bouquet of gardenias in the center of the table. "Please sit," she invited him, before slipping into the kitchen. She brought out the first course of baby greens with herbed crusted goat cheese and roasted beets and laid it before him.

It had been a long and difficult day for Steve. He found it hard to believe that after all that he'd been through, he was sitting across from this beautiful woman, serving him a meal worthy of the best restaurants on the island. He felt himself begin to relax into the combination of her heady company, the deliciously perfect wine and food, the glow of the candles, and the soft music.

They chatted about her trip, carefully avoiding the discussion of her text and the aftermath. He suspected she knew exactly what had happened since she left on Tuesday, but she gave no indication. Somehow they got on the subject of crazy sibling stories, with Steve sharing some of Mary's nutty stunts over the years, and Julia regaling him with stories of her two older brothers and how they'd tried to torment her as a child, in spite of the fact that she was always able to get them blamed for her misdeeds. He laughed at the story of the out-of-control party she'd thrown when her parents were out of town, and how after she'd gotten caught, she managed to convince her parents that it was Erik and Jim's idea and she had merely been an unwilling participant.

Steve cleared the plates from the first course as Julia brought out the second, a beautifully trimmed New York strip steak, cooked rare with Bearnaise sauce, pommes dauphine, and haricots verts lightly steamed with lemon zest. Steve loved steak, as anyone who knew him was aware, but he'd never had it so perfectly and elegantly prepared. Usually he chowed down his food rather quickly. Tonight, he found he was savoring the experience with Julia, enjoying the taste of her delicious meal and her wonderful company. Truth be told, as he admired her in that dress, he was of the mind to skip dinner all together and carry her upstairs to his bed.

The energy building within them was exquisitely painful. The stories they shared waned as the long, lingering looks between them grew. Julia's mouth was dry, her throat tight as she looked into Steve's eyes and saw deep pools of desire for her. She found herself craving him, craving his touch more than she'd ever thought possible. Watching him in the soft candlelight, she realized that no matter what she'd endured the past few days, it was all worth it. She was falling for him in a way that she wasn't entirely comfortable with, and that she wasn't willing to admit. But in this moment, in the quiet peace of Steve's house, she knew exactly what she wanted. She smiled enigmatically when he finished his meal and set down his knife and fork. "Would you excuse me for a moment? I'll be right back," she said, shooting his favorite sly sideways glance before laying down her napkin on her chair and quietly pushing it in.

Steve's eyes followed her as she stepped out of the dining room. It had been an incredible surprise to find her here waiting for him, just as he'd been certain she'd forgotten to tell him her trip had been extended. By his calculations, she'd had no more than 24 hours in Amsterdam, and had rushed back early to make their date. He shook his head. Perhaps Danny was right, maybe there was more than just a physical draw between him. As he cleared the dishes and loaded the dishwasher, he thought about his own feelings. Why was he denying how he felt? He was happier when he was with her, happier than he ever thought possible. He felt almost dizzy with emotions and was trying hard not to feel overwhelmed by all of the new possibilities that flooded his mind. He was deep in thought when he sensed her behind him and turned around.


	22. Chapter 22

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Duffster - oh, you make me happy! I loved writing the last chapter and writing this one. I've been planning this since the first chapter of Justified. Athene - so glad you enjoyed the tease... didn't want to leave you hanging too long. All is good. Cokie - Hope you like where this is going! Thanks all for your continued support and feedback. Just a few more chapters to go, I hope you like it. Please keep those comments coming! I wrote this within the "T" rating... I could have gone racier but FF is very strict these days. Perhaps I will rewrite the story after it's all posted in a steamier version? Comment if you'd read it!

* * *

She stood before him, wearing a long, pale silk negligee trimmed with lace. Her hair fell loosely in gentle waves around her bare shoulders. She was a soft vision of beauty, and Steve had to remind himself to breathe. "Julia… you look absolutely beautiful." His voice was soft and husky, his desire palpable. He strode over to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her upstairs to his bedroom.

His bedroom was softly lit with candles covered with hurricane glasses protecting the delicate lights from the warm ocean breezes. The windows of his room were open and the beautiful classical music of downstairs was replaced by the crashing of waves. Steve placed Julia gently on her feet on the bare wooden floor, the moonlight dancing across her shoulders. He ran his finger down her jaw to her neck, kissing her softly, tenderly as her fingers curled into his hair.

She moaned with the unbearable need his kisses were unleashing. Leaning into him, she brushed up against his chest. She pushed his button-down shirt off his shoulders before quickly tugging up his t-shirt and lifting it up and over his head. Her eyes were hooded as she drank in the sight of his naked chest before her. She drifted her fingers over the light hairs on his chest, her nails gently scraping along his defined pecs in a sweeping pattern as he gasped from the sensation. He clutched her waist, stroking his hands upward toward her back, the sensuous silk of her gown at odds with the roughness of his hands. Her breath quickened as she tugged his waistband to pull him closer to her and felt his growing presence against her thigh. How she loved knowing that he was so attracted to her, that her mere presence and touch was enough to entice and arouse him.

He covered her mouth with his, more insistent this time, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth in an erotic dance with her tongue. He softly caressed her curves through the delicate silk and lace of her gown before slipping the thin straps off of her shoulders. Her gown fluttered down her sides, exposing her beauty to his watchful eyes. He leaned her over the bed and eased her down as he removed the last of his clothes.

Body to body, skin to skin, they reveled in the touch and the sensations that overwhelmed their minds. Julia and Steve were beyond thought now, they were in that special space reserved for lovers where physical needs merged indelibly with emotional connections. Slowly, passionately, they began to make love. It was a new experience for Steve to feel their emotional tie build and strengthen as their desire grew hotter. Gently, tantalizingly, teasingly they explored and read each others' bodies and responses, finding the sensations that pushed them both toward a higher plane.

Higher, and higher they climbed, the sweat sheening on Steve's chest, the reddening flushing Julia's neck and cheeks. Their hands intertwined as they neared their peaks, their mouths matching their bodies in time and passion. Finally, Julia began to quiver, and as she unbearably neared her edge with Steve, she felt him tip over to find his own powerful release. Tears pricked at her eyes as she found her emotional release as well, until finally their bodies were tangled, hot and sweaty, every inch of each other touching and being touched. It was as though now that they had found each other emotionally and physically, they couldn't bear to be apart in any way.

Julia curled in to lay her head on Steve's broad chest, listening as his heart and breath begin to slow. Her legs were still entangled with his. He tugged the duvet over the two of them before wrapping his arms around her. She felt warm, sated, and safe – feelings she had not felt in quite some time. It all seemed so improbable, and as the reality of her world began to creep back into her mind, she tried to push the thoughts out to savor the moment just as it was.

As he drifted off to sleep with Julia in his arms, Steve realized that he felt at peace. It was a peace very different than what he'd learned to force upon himself when he needed to sleep on a mission, very different than what he'd felt when he was had finished a tour and could come home and relax. This peace was tender, comforting, and complete. In some ways, it reminded him a bit of when he was growing up, when he'd felt accepted and happy for who he was, not who he tried to be. In that very moment with Julia sleeping in his arms, he wasn't a SEAL, he wasn't a Naval officer, he wasn't the head of Five-O. He was simply Steve, Julia's lover. And for a man who quite well defined himself by his title and what he did, the realization that came being just her man was surprisingly freeing.

As sleep crept over him, he held her closely, determined never to let her go. He didn't know what would come next for them, and for the moment he didn't care. He happily passed the point where dreams and reality intermixed, and he felt her in his arms as they rocked in a hammock together by the beach, the ocean breezes caressing their skin.


	23. Chapter 23

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Last chapter was fun to write – glad you enjoyed reading it! Please keep those comments coming. Athene – would I leave you hanging? Morning after is often the best part. Cokie – you're a good sport (and a great beta) – thanks for reading & commenting even though you know where this is going. Thanks all and please keep them coming. We're nearing the end...

Julia yawned and stretched out in the large, empty bed. She could still hear the waves outside, and as she rolled over, she smelled Steve's husky masculine scent in the pillows. She rubbed his side of the bed, but it was cold. He'd been up for awhile. Glancing at the clock, she couldn't believe it was almost nine. She hadn't slept that long… well, she hadn't been sleeping much at all lately. The only reason she'd had enough energy to keep up with Steve last night was that her desire for him far outweighed her need for anything else.

She touched her lips, remember his sensual, long, languid kisses. Her man could kiss, that was for sure. He had a way of making her entire body come alive with just one kiss, and last night, her body had certainly come alive. She was a little sore, achy even, particularly her shoulder, but part of that was also jet lag and exhaustion as well as the aftereffects of her trip. She stretched again and got up out of bed, pulling out one of Steve's t-shirts from his dresser and slipping it on before she padded her way downstairs toward the smell of fresh-brewed coffee.

"Good morning, beautiful." Steve smiled as he saw her. Although the gown she'd worn last night had been exquisite, seeing her dressed in nothing but his t-shirt was even more alluring, particularly since he suspected she wasn't wearing a thing underneath it. He poured her a mug of decaf, and handed it to her with a tender, sweet kiss on her lips.

"Mmm, coffee. Just what I need. Well, that and you. How did you sleep?" Her voice was a little hoarse from sleep as she took a deep sip, closing her eyes briefly as she savored the delicious Kona coffee. A knowing smile spread over her face, as she admired the way his boardies hung admiringly from his hips. She exhaled softly as she let her eyes linger across his broad, muscular chest, remembering how much she'd enjoyed kissing every inch of it last night. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her neck, running his lips up the side of her throat to her earlobe, which he gently tongued and teased. Julia set her mug on the counter and ran her hands across his naked chest, still damp from his morning swim. "I take it you slept well then?" she flirted.

He brushed his fingers through her long, silky hair. "Even though you didn't sing me to sleep, yes, I slept very well. I'm glad you slept in. We didn't even talk about your trip last night. How did it go?"

Julia smiled, but Steve noticed her smile wasn't quite real. The mask was back on. "Everything went well. Dull and boring, but I was there and took care of things, which was important. And I made it back in time for last night, which was even more important." Her voice was soft and seductive as she nuzzled into his chest, kissing the tender spot at his breastbone. Steve tipped her chin up toward his, and kissed her tender lips again, her mouth opening to his as the heat between the two of them began to build again. He was just about to lead her upstairs when Steve's phone began to vibrate.

He pulled away from her, cursing softly. "I'm sorry, baby. This will just take a minute," he said, as he glanced at Danny's name on the caller ID. "Danno, you have perfect timing. What is it?" He paused to listen, his face becoming firm. "What? Yeah, I'll meet you there. I have to drop Julia off first then I'll be right over." He clicked off his phone in frustration. "Julia, I'll have to take a rain check. I'd hoped to make you breakfast in bed, but maybe another time."

"It's okay. I understand. I need to get home to Andy anyway. Is everything okay?" Her brow furrowed.

"No, it's not. Dorman was granted bail last night, and about thirty minutes ago, his landlady found his body. I've got to head over to the crime scene. I'm sorry."

"Steve, you never have to apologize for doing your job. I'm grateful that you and the team do so much to keep all of us safe. I know that it's not a nine-to-five job. You should go. I'll just get dressed and grab a cab." She reached out to caress his chest one last time, as if she was trying to commit the brief moment to memory.

He placed his hand over hers, treasuring her touch and the way it made him feel. He paused, hesitant to end the tender moment, but he had no choice. "No, baby. I'll take you home. I don't know how long this is going to take, it could be all day," he sighed.

Julia extended her hand to him. "Come, let's get dressed. Call when you can. I don't have plans, so maybe if you wrap up in time, you can come over for dinner. We'll play it by ear. Don't worry about us. This case…" She bit her lip, hesitating a moment. "Steve, just please be careful. Someone is cleaning up their messes. I hope you find them soon."

They walked upstairs, each lost in their own thoughts already. After a brisk shower, Steve stepped out in just a towel to see Julia slipping on a short sundress that accented her long, toned legs. Normally he would have swept her into his arms again, but he was pensive and more than a bit worried about all of the irregularities in the case. And then there was Julia's unexpectedly short trip overseas. He didn't know how to reconcile that, and with the more pressing need of a dead body and a crime scene awaiting him, he couldn't give the issue much thought at the moment.

As they headed to Julia's house in his truck, Steve continued to think about the case, about what this development meant. Julia was right – someone was cleaning up behind themselves, which meant they had missed someone, probably the ring leader. He was annoyed that the case was breaking just as he and Julia were getting some time together. Last night had been amazing for him. It wasn't just the sex, which had been phenomenal. It was the emotional connection he'd felt with her as they'd made love. He could still feel it now. They were together, in every way, and when he'd awakened this morning, he'd realized that he never wanted to be apart from her again.

He looked over at her as they neared her neighborhood. She seemed distracted, like something was nagging at the back of her mind. Smiling, she reached over and gripped his hand. _It's odd,_ he thought. _Here they were, never closer, and yet she's become more guarded in the past few days than I've ever seen her. What is she afraid of?_ He had to admit, she had a lot more at risk than he did. Andy, for one. And then there was the not so small matter of her having lost so many that she'd loved before. She had to be more than a bit gun-shy, particularly having watched her husband die of cancer. But there was something else, something she wasn't telling him. He could sense it. He was certain of it, but at the same time, he couldn't push her on it, not yet. It was too soon, it was far too soon. But at some point - after this case, perhaps, he was going to get some answers. He needed to know, and he expected her to trust him, whether she was ready or not.


	24. Chapter 24

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the great comments, and please keep them coming! Guest – glad you found the story and enjoy it! Julia has many, many secrets and yes, they will cause some issues, but Steve has his fair share too – which will make it interesting. Ah, Cokie… yes, this girl has some serious trust issues. Hard to understand why at this point – just realize she's been alone for a very, very long time. Athene – catastrophe, no, not yet. I think Julia and Steve are both starting to realize that trusting another is far better than the alternative, but as smart as they both are, they are also very stubborn folks! Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! Thanks again! Just two more chapters after this - the end is coming, enjoy it!

Steve paced around the bullpen at Five-0, his face firm and dark in spite of the morning he'd shared with Julia. Waking with her in his arms after making love for most of the night was one of the greatest feelings he'd ever felt. She felt so right, so perfect, he could scarcely believe it. Yet here he was, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, at the office with a dead suspect and no leads. Earlier, Romano had briefly stopped in before heading out cryptically. Danny, Chin, and Kono were going over every inch of the case despite their weariness, while Steve continued to pace and Danny tossed a stress ball against the outside of his office. Finally, Danny stopped and looked around tensely.

"What is it, Danno?" Steve asked, noticing the change on his partner's face.

"I'm just going to say something, and I'm probably wrong, so don't attack me. The only person outside of the four of us who knew we were going to raid that warehouse last night was Julia, right?" Danny was surprisingly cautious in his tone. He knew how deeply Steve loved Julia, but there was so much about this case - _and her_ - that didn't make sense. It was his job to consider all of the possibilities, and right now Steve was just far too close to her, far too deep into the thick of the case to get any perspective.

"Danno, she's the one who gave us the tip," Steve cautioned. _Where the hell was this coming from?_

"Yeah, the tip she won't acknowledge or tell us where she got it from. The tip was about the paper, and the first time she looked at the bonds, right after we found them, she said she thought the paper was legit, right?" Steve nodded, not sure where Danny was going with this. "What if she was acting on a hunch, and used her sources to find out about the paper theft and the CI? What if she used her sources within the Secret Service?"

"And someone within the Service got wind of her request, and warned someone at the warehouse that we knew the address." Kono chimed in. "It's a possibility. Didn't Julia warn you about a potential mole?"

Steve thought for a moment. She was afraid of something, fearful for his safety, unwilling to help in the case – could there be someone within the Secret Service that was involved in the counterfeiting? Someone who could delay the results from the Federal Crime Lab, someone who could stymie their investigation? "Chin, did you pull Tony Romano's financials?"

Chin nodded. "Yeah, when he was first assigned to the case. I didn't find anything unusual, but I didn't expect to. If he wasn't clean, I'm sure he'd know how to hide it well."

"Sure, it'll be nearly impossible to follow the money trail if there is a mole at the Secret Service or Quantico. But if there is a mole, sooner or later, they will make a mistake." Danny paused, running the case through his head again. "Remember the outgoing calls on Koch's phone? They went to a burner phone, right? Did we run the GPS on the burner phone?" Danny asked.

Kono typed in a few commands on to the table. "No GPS data, but I can track the times of the calls between the burner phone and Koch's , run them through the cell tower data to triangulate and estimate the locations over the past few days."

They all watched the series of circles pop up on the map on the screen in front of them, indicating the rough locations where the calls were made and received. "Kono, map those locations against Tony Romano's phone GPS data for the same times."

Kono typed some more commands into the smart table and gasped as every circle mapped directly to a line of Romano's movements over the past few days. "Damn, it's him, isn't it? And according to this, right now, he's at the marina." She typed a few more commands and then zoomed in to a satellite photo of a large boat at the end of one of the slips.

The team didn't need any direction. They quickly scattered into their offices and picked up their tac gear. Danny braced himself tightly in the passenger seat as Steve raced in the Camaro to the marina, Kono and Chin directly behind them, lights on but sirens off. Danny picked up on the firm look on Steve's face. It was his game face, the one he put on before they went after a suspect, but there was an undercurrent that wasn't usually there. Danny tried to put his finger on it. "Steve, you don't think that Julia…"

Steve glared at Danny, interrupting him. "No, I don't. And you don't either."

"She was out of the country when everything went down. If she had the plates…"

"She was with me when Dorman was killed. She gave us the tip, at risk to herself. She flagged the bonds as Gombar's work… no, she's not involved, at least not directly. Everything points to Romano." Steve was as certain as he could be, but he still had so many questions for Julia, questions he knew she wouldn't – or couldn't – answer. He knew deep inside that as secretive as she was, she wasn't a thief. She couldn't be. She just couldn't.

They pulled up to the parking lot, killing the flashing lights before they drove in. Steve saw Julia's Mazda parked in front of them as he and Danny exchanged a look. They ran out of the car, weapons drawn. Quickly and carefully the team made their way down the boat slip. Steve saw a figure prone on the dock ahead of them. His alarmed eyes caught Danny's again as they raced toward the dock. His heart dropped into his stomach as he recognized the body laying there unmoving, the distinctive chestnut hair stained by blood.


	25. Chapter 25

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: Plea for comments - it helps me to know that you are reading & enjoying the story, and especially if there are things you don't like - so please read, enjoy, and comment, comment, comment! I've worked this chapter back and forth - even though it's posted, would love some feedback on how to make it more... steve-dreamy. Thank you! Second-to-last chapter...

* * *

Steve dropped to his knees beside her and felt for a pulse. It was strong and steady, and briefly he exhaled with relief. "Julia. Julia, honey, come on. Open your eyes. Can you hear me?" He stroked her cheek gently before rolling her over onto her back. Carefully, he examined her for injuries. He pulled out a bandana from his cargo pants and gently but firmly held it to the bloody wound on her head. Julia began to stir, a soft moan escaping her lips. Steve nodded to Danny, who continued on to the boat slip to look for Romano.

Julia groaned, her head and ribs aching. She could just make out a blurry shape in front of her, and slowly realized that it was Steve in his tac vest. "Steve?" she asked, placing her hand on his strong bicep. She forced her mind to refocus, to realize where she was and what had happened. Her voice echoed in her head, causing her to wince unintentionally.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here. Easy now, just stay still. Paramedics are on their way. Where are you hurt?" Steve's concern for her was evident, his brow furrowed as he continued to check her over. Her face was pale, and she looked so small in that moment. Softly, he stroked her arm. He needed to take care of her and yet, he needed to go and bring in Romano. He looked down to the end of the slip, where his team was carefully surrounding the boat at the end of the slip. Anxiously, he looked back to the parking lot, willing backup and the ambulance to arrive quickly. _What the hell did Romano do to her? Why was she here in the first place?_

Julia put her hand on her ribs as she inhaled painfully. She shifted cautiously while Steve gently helped her sit up, his hand resting on her back. She took the bandana from him, wincing as she pressed on the wound, looking at the bandana to note that her head wasn't bleeding much anymore. "It's nothing," she said unconvincingly. As much as he wanted her to wait for the paramedics, he helped her up, the determined look on her face convincing him that either he could help her, or he could stand aside. She started to stand before swaying briefly from a wave of dizziness. Steve steadied her in response, wrapping his arm around her cautiously.

"I'm fine," she said hoarsely, still trying to get her bearings. "Tony… he got the jump on me, that's all. It was him all along. He must have the plates. He's the only one who knew – he's the only one who could have done it. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. It's my… I should have known. Go, go be with your team, Steve. I'll be fine. They need you. Go bring him in."

Steve looked at her, unsure whether she was really all right. She nodded at him again as she pushed the physical pain away. "Go, Steve. Please, I'm fine. You need to back up your team," she said, more firmly than she felt.

As Steve raced down the gangway, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Reading the incoming text, her face dropped in response. _Damn!_ She deleted the message quickly. She took a readying breath, permitted herself a final brief wince in response to the sharp pain, before heading down to the boat. She knew exactly what she'd find.

"Romano! Five-0! Come out with your hands up!" Danny shouted, the team tactically surrounded around the boat. Tony came up the ladder, his service weapon in his hand but not pointed at anyone. "Drop the weapon now!"

Julia stepped up swiftly behind Steve. "Tony, it's over. We know about everything. We know you stole the plates eight years ago from the Gumbar raid. Koch and Dorman were skimming off the top, that's why the bonds were in the car. You killed Dorman because he was going to talk. Tony, I know that there was no CI – _you_ leaked the information about the bond paper knowing I'd pick it up and pass it along to Five-0. You were the lead investigator on the theft, and we'd never released the details on how much paper was stolen. Why? Tony, how could you… Why did you do it?"

Tony continued to point his gun at them and shook his head. "You were always too good for this job, Beanie. God, you are so naïve. Day in and day out, we busted people making millions and never once did we see anything for it except maybe a pat on the back. I gave up everything for the Service including my family, and for what? You've lost so much too. _You_ should understand more than anyone. Did you ever once think that if you hadn't been working overseas, Peter might be alive today? Andy might have a father, we might both have families, if it weren't for the pointless sacrifices we've made. They take, and they take, and we just keep letting them. I never intended for it to go this far, but Koch… he got too damned greedy. Look at you - even now after you've left, you can't stay away! I thought I taught you better than that. I thought I taught you to take care of yourself first."

"Tony, put down the weapon. It's over. It's all over," Steve commanded, carefully starting to move in toward Romano.

Steve narrowed his gaze on Romano as Kono crept to the back side of the boat. Before anyone could move further, Romano slowly put his weapon on the floor of the boat and kicked it toward Steve. Kono ordered him to the ground where he knelt, his hands clasped behind his head. Steve stepped aboard the boat and cuffed Tony's hands behind him before pulling him to his feet and hauling him off the boat.

"Steve, Danny, wait up." Julia called as Steve held Tony's arm and led him down the dock, Danny right beside him. She turned to Steve, her eyes uncharacteristically moist. Softly, she asked, "Can you give us a moment. Please?" Steve looked at her, then nodded briefly as he stepped to Tony's side and watched him warily. He rested his hand on the gun strapped to his leg, and so help him, he'd fire on the handcuffed criminal if Tony so much as lunged at Julia again.

Julia stepped up to Tony, looking him in the eye. "I thought you were one of the good guys, Tony. I thought you knew the right thing to do." She ran her hands up and down his arms, her face placid and blank as she said her goodbye as best she could. A brief look of recognition crossed his face. She looked down in disappointment and sorrow before she stepped back and nodded to Steve.

"Book 'em Danno," Steve said, not smiling, but relieved they'd solved the case. He heard the sirens as the paramedics and backup arrived. "Julia, let's get you checked out."

"Steve, I'm fine, I told you. Just a kick or two to my ribs and a small head lac. I've seen far worse," she sighed tiredly as she rubbed her forehead.

"I'm not asking you. Come on," he said firmly. He put his arm around her and led her toward the parking lot and the ambulance, noticing the slight bulge along her back.

She turned to face him out of sight of the others, then pulled out her Sig Sauer and handed it to him. "Could you slip this in my bag for me? I don't have the energy to explain to HPD why I was carrying."

He tucked the weapon in his back and took her hand. "You may not have the energy to explain now, but I expect you're going to fill me in later, Julia. Including why you didn't call me before you came down here," he said sternly. _Too many secrets_. It was time he got some answers.

She cocked her head at him as they walked down the pier back to the parking lot. "You're going to be trouble, I can see that. I have a concealed weapon permit, which I know you are well-aware of from my background check. And at some point, you're going to have to tell me how you figured out that it was Tony." She sighed heavily, the weight of the case hitting her full-force. "I still can't believe it was him. I had no idea. All I found out was that he was the lead investigator on the paper theft, and that there was no indication of a courier or an informant. I thought it was a fluke, but when I came down here to ask him, he caught me off-guard and knocked me out. I never thought he could do this…"

Tony was being led to the arriving police cars in front of them when suddenly he collapsed. "Tony? Tony!" she shouted as she ran toward him. Danny felt for a pulse and he shook his head. "No!" she cried. "No!" Steve pulled her back toward him, holding her tightly in his arms as she struggled against him. "Please, God, no!"

The paramedics quickly raced over, but it was clear he was already dead. Danny turned Romano's body over to uncuff him and seeing something, slipped on a pair of gloves. He picked up a small plastic lancet-type injector and sniffed at it. "Cyanide, my guess."

Julia looked in shock at Danny, and then back at Tony's lifeless form. Steve let her go. She knelt down by Romano's body, and ran her fingers over to close his eyes, fighting her tears. "Oh, Tone. What have you done?" she said softly, her voice filled with angst and mourning, a sob catching deep in her throat. She laid her head on his chest for just a moment, as if she were trying to convince herself that he was truly gone. In spite of everything, he had been a good friend to her through some of her worst days. _But it had been a lie, it was all a lie_, she thought angrily.

Steve carefully grasped her shoulders and helped her up. With his arm around her, he gently steered her toward the waiting ambulance. The paramedics cleaned and bandaged the cut on her head, and while they wanted her to go to the hospital to get her ribs x-rayed and her head checked out, she refused. She desperately needed to go home, to be someplace where she felt safe after what had started off as an incredible day, but had ended with the ultimate betrayal.


	26. Chapter 26

Captivated – Story 2 in the Unbreakable series

**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

**Author's Note**: _Wow! Thank you to everyone who has followed this story over the chapters, given great feedback, and been so supportive. At long last, the final chapter. If you like my writing, or you like my characters, or you just enjoy reading Steve-centric stories, you will love the next story in the series - Fractured. Please follow me as a writer to see when I start posting it. It's in beta now, completely written - I will start posting it in about three weeks. I just want to re-edit, and re-edit... and re-edit! Fractured follows Steve as he struggles with his growing feelings for Julia, and his uncertainty with heading down an entirely unfamiliar path. Will his doubts and uncertainty come between them? I hope you'll read it and enjoy - but in the meantime, enjoy the conclusion of Captivated! Thank you! ~Aly_

* * *

Steve pulled up outside of Julia's house, keenly aware again that he was being watched. Even though he understood Julia's need to protect Andy, he wondered if she'd received specific threats in the past, if something had happened to her to warrant such measures. Perhaps it was just her Secret Service training, or her maternal instincts. Either way, her home, while attractive and warm, was like a fortress.

He'd been worried about her all day since he'd had Chin take her home. He'd wanted to drive her himself, but with the aftermath of Tony Romano's suicide and his admission of heading up the counterfeit bond scheme, Steve had needed to stay on the scene and coordinate with the Crime Scene Unit. The only prints on the lancet were Romano's and his death was being ruled as self-inflicted. They'd never really know exactly what happened, but in the end, it probably didn't matter. They had the plates, they had the criminals in custody, and they prevented the release of possibly millions of dollars of counterfeit bonds.

After everything they'd been through this week, and this day, Steve needed to see Julia. There was something about his feelings for her that went well beyond just a physical attraction. She calmed him. She eased his mind in a way he never thought possible, and when he was away from her, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He needed to see her, even if it was only for a short while. He needed to know she was okay before… Inwardly he cursed at once again the terrible timing that seemed to keep coming between them.

Julia opened the door as he stepped up to the entrance. "Hi," she breathed, looking much better than he'd left her on the pier, though she was still terribly drawn and pale. She'd been shaken by the revelations that her mentor, one of her oldest friends, had turned and become a murderer and a thief. The thought was anathema to her, but she couldn't deny the evidence she'd worked so hard and sacrificed so much to obtain. Although she was a self-contained, independent woman, seeing Steve at her doorstep made her want to crumble into his arms. She invited him in, but before she could even kiss him hello, Andy raced into the room with his favorite action heroes, grabbing Steve's leg in a love hug that only a four-year-old could muster.

"Hey, pal. What are these? Are these your buddies?" Steve smiled broadly.

Andy laughed. "Dees are Rescue Heroes. I have a 'copter an' ev'ryting! Come play! Come, Mando Steve!"

Julia winced almost imperceptibly as she bent down to look Andy in the eye and ruffle his sandy blond hair. "Sweetie, Commander McGarrett is here to see Mommy. Maybe you can play a little later. Run upstairs and get on your bathing suit with Allison. We'll go out on the beach and you can play with your Rescue Heroes outside." She kissed him on top of his head and nudged him up the stairs. Once he'd barreled up the stairs into his room, she wrapped her arms around Steve, her fingers nestled in the hair at the nape of his neck, her lips brushing his. "I missed you today," she whispered. "More than you know."

Steve caressed her face then kissed her forehead. He held her closely, nuzzling her hair to smell the familiar and comfortable scent of shampoo and lavender. "I know, ku'uipo. I know. I wanted to get here sooner, but it was a mess. How are you feeling?" His fingers brushed carefully along the edge of a darkening bruise on Julia's cheek. "When I saw you…" he shuddered at the memory of her unconscious on the pier. The bile rose in his throat as he thought of Romano hitting her, kicking her in the ribs, and leaving her bleeding on the dock. If Romano hadn't killed himself, Steve would have made sure that he suffered for what he'd put Julia through.

Julia saw the worried look in his eye, and took his hand to softly kiss his fingers. "Hey, I'm okay. Shaken, numb… but you're here now, and for that I'm so grateful and relieved. Andy will be down in a minute – he's probably bringing his whole collection of action heroes. We just finished dinner, but would you like a plate? Barbeque chicken, cheese grits, and a salad. Nothing fancy, but it goes well with a Kona dark?"

"You're amazing. You track down criminals on cases you're not even supposed to be on, you take care of a four-year-old, and you still find time to make dinner. I didn't know I was dating superwoman," he chuckled teasingly, his hand brushing softly through her hair.

"Oh, so now we're _dating_? That's news to me. Is this because of last night?" she teased gently. Julia put together a plate for Steve, grabbed two Kona darks from the fridge, and headed out to the chairs by the water. Steve sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs and made quick work of his dinner, grinning but not commenting. Julia sipped her beer, watching him amusingly wolf down his dinner like a teenaged boy. Moments later, Andy blazed out of the house, Rescue Heroes in tow, running down to join them on the beach before flopping down on the sand to happily create sand fortresses for his toys. "Steve, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding my question." Julia directed a playfully annoyed look right at him.

He quickly but gently pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply, sending shivers down her back. She returned his kiss with a similar level of ardor, keeping in mind that she had a junior chaperone not far away. Pulling away slightly, she brushed her lips barely against his. "Still avoiding," she reminded him teasingly.

He wrapped his arms around her, as she rested her head on his broad, warm chest. He hesitated, unsure as to what to do. "Jules, I'm not very good at the whole emotional communication thing. I'll try, but it's all new to me." He caressed her hair, running his fingers through the silky tendrils before kissing her temple softly.

A small smile crept across her face. "I'm not sure why this is all new to you. You'll have to tell me at some point. But I can be patient… sometimes…." She shot him a flirty look before snuggling back into his lap, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I'm sorry I didn't call you before I went over to the dock this afternoon. I never expected…" she paused, a lump rising in her throat. Her voice softened to barely a whisper. "I never expected that Tony could be a traitor. I still feel so blindsided."

He tightened his arms around her, nestling her head under his chin. "Shh. You couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself. This was his doing, and it had nothing to do with you." He paused, struck by the sadness in Julia's eyes. He knew what it felt like to be betrayed, to trust someone and have them let you down. He was still struggling with the unknown questions he had about his father and Wo-Fat - he still could see that video of the two of them speaking in the Governor's office. Still, he hoped he'd have answers soon. Julia had all of the answers she would ever get about Romano, but still that couldn't ease her feelings of shock and deception. His voice was somber. "The fallout in Washington on this is going to be significant."

She nodded in agreement. "I imagine so. Wilson will get pushed out for not knowing what his own agent was up to. A little shake-up now and then is a good thing, I suppose." She sighed, quietly resting in Steve's arms as the sun continued to set. Silently they sat there, watching Andy play in the waning daylight, the waves softly licking at the shore as they savored the peaceful moment together.

"You still haven't told me why you brought a gun with you to see Tony." He watched as Allison walked by, smiling at them, to pick Andy up for his bath and bedtime. Andy came over and gave his crazy-big hug to Steve and Julia. Steve noticed her involuntarily wince from Andy's exuberance before she gently kissed her son sweetly on his head and sent him off to bed.

She was quiet for a moment after Andy had left with Allison. "I'm a pretty rational person, Steve. I've been trained to rely on facts and evidence. But the reality is that something has been niggling at the back of my mind. I don't know if it's a sixth sense or what, but I've been on edge the past few days, concerned about your safety, mine, and Andy's. I still don't know if I could've drawn my gun on Tony – I suppose if he'd threatened you or your team I'd have had no choice. But in spite of my reservations, I felt safer taking my weapon. It was as though at some level, I knew I couldn't quite trust him. Not any more. This whole thing with him – I trusted him. I trusted him, and yet he was a thief and a murderer. It's shaken me to my core. I feel like don't know what to think – rationally or otherwise," she said, protectively tucking her body into his.

He grudgingly admitted her explanation made a lot of sense. Tentatively, he continued. "What's your rational self think of last night?" he smiled, curious and surprisingly, a little nervous.

Julia grinned, her eyes darkening with the memories of their passion. She whispered hotly in his ear, "I only regret that we didn't get a second round this morning." She leaned her head against his chest and sighed. Everything was moving so quickly, and in spite of how vulnerable she felt, she knew what she wanted, what she _needed_ to fix this unbelievably bad day. "Please stay with me tonight. I need you, Steve." Her fingers stroked the stubble along his jaw.

His arms wrapped around her tighter, her scent nearly overpowering him. He felt the familiar charge between them start to build, and as he held her in his arms, he couldn't bear to let her go. "There's something I haven't told you, Jules. I'm leaving for Japan in a few hours," he said quietly.

She sat up, surprised. "What? Japan? Why?"

He pursed his lips, looking into her deep hazel eyes. He tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as his hand softly caressed her face. "It's related to my father's case. Something to do with a man named Wo-Fat who ordered my father's murder. Joe has some information - I don't know what it will lead to, but I have to go. It's a lead I've been chasing down, and now… I know the timing is lousy, but I have to follow through. I _have_ to know."

Julia shuddered at the mention of Wo-Fat. "I thought Wo-Fat was in prison. Didn't you capture him just before we met?"

"He is, and I did. How do you know about him? I've never mentioned his name before."

"Wo-Fat is well-known in my circle. We tried going after him a few years ago, but he's always managed to stay one step ahead. Please… please be careful, Steve. I know this is silly, my saying this given that you're a well-trained SEAL, but… I couldn't bear for anything to happen to you. Wo-Fat's reach is far and wide, and just because he's in prison… He still has an extensive network, unlimited resources, and an immense payroll." Julia held on to Steve tightly. She paused, her heart racing with concern for Steve.

She thought about what she needed to say. "There's something else. I've told you that I do some consulting. It's a bit more extensive than that. I have a number of contacts, not just within the Service, that are still active. If you get stuck in Japan, or anything happens, please call me or reach me somehow. I can't share details, but I can help. Promise me?" She looked at him, her eyes pleading.

"I will. I'll come home safe in a few weeks, I promise. This may just put everything behind me, my father's case, my mother's murder. I just need some answers. I hate to leave you now, I hope you know that. But I need to find out once and for all what this Shelbourne connection really is."

"I trust you, Steve. I hope you find what you're looking for. But most importantly, I hope you come back to me safely." She stroked his hair, kissing him softly.

"I will, baby, I will. Besides, as I see it, we have two hours until I have to grab a bag and head to the airport." He grinned his beaming grin at her, causing her stomach to drop in a free-fall.

"Two whole hours, huh? I think I can work with that." She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, a kiss filled with growing emotions and need, a kiss that promised and tempted so much more.

_Thank you for continuing to follow and review! Stay tuned for the next story in the Unbreakable series – Fractured! As Steve and the team tackle an emotionally charged case, he and Julia find their pasts colliding with their future. What happens when Steve tells her something that will forever change their lives?_


End file.
